The NFL dominated a quiet New Year’s Eve in sports television.
The Week 17 NFL national window on CBS (mostly Bengals-Chiefs) averaged a 13.0 rating and 26.17 million viewers, easily the largest television audience of Sunday, December 31. Ratings increased 8% and viewership 6% from last year on New Year’s Day (mostly Vikings-Packers: 12.0, 24.62M).
Sunday Night Football (Packers-Vikings) placed second for the day with an 8.3 rating and 18.28 million across NBC (8.3, 18.14M), Universo (0.02, 120K) and Telexitos (0.01, 27K), down 7% in ratings but up 6% in viewership from last year (8.9, 17.18M). (The disparity between ratings and viewership is an indication that out-of-home viewing was higher on New Year’s Eve than last year on New Year’s Day.)
Rounding out the NFL slate, CBS averaged a 9.2 and 17.93 million for early window coverage featuring Dolphins-Ravens in 70% of the country (+23%) and FOX drew a 7.5 and 15.50 million for singleheader action featuring Steelers-Seahawks in a plurality of markets (-30%).
The top non-NFL audience on Sunday belonged to NASCAR Race Hub, which aired adjacent to the FOX singleheader and averaged a 0.7 and 1.48 million. The Race Hub special was the final singleheader-adjacent program of the season.
ABC crossed the million viewer threshold for a re-air of the American Kennel Club National Championship. The top traditional live sporting event was a Bournemouth-Tottenham English Premier League match at a 0.34 and 584,000 across USA Network (0.23, 433K) and Telemundo (0.10, 151K).
Sunday, December 31 sports ratings
