Though down from last year’s comparable game, NBC earned strong numbers for the preseason debut of ‘Sunday Night Football.’
The Colts/Steelers NFL preseason game drew a 6.0 final rating and 9.506 million viewers on NBC Sunday night, down 6% in ratings and 11% in viewership from Chargers/Cowboys in Week 2 of last year’s preseason (6.4, 10.676M), and down 10% and 12%, respectively, from Vikings/49ers in 2010 (6.7, 10.822M).
Despite the decline, the game ranks as the most-viewed non-Olympic sports telecast since the MLB All-Star Game in July (10.9M).
The last six NFL preseason games on NBC (dates back to 2009) have drawn at least nine million viewers.
Sunday’s game drew a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49, down 14% from last year (3.7), and down 11% from 2010 (3.6). With that said, the 3.2 is tied with the MLB All-Star Game as the highest for a non-Olympic sporting event in the demo since Game 5 of the NBA Finals in June (7.6).
(Sunday’s numbers from Media Life Magazine)
