Though the numbers were not record-setting, Sunday’s NFL preseason game on NBC attracted strong numbers.
The Panthers/Jets “Sunday Night Football” NFL preseason game drew a 6.2 final rating and 9.819 million viewers on NBC Sunday night — up 10% in ratings and 6% in viewership from Saints/Raiders in Week 3 of last year’s preseason (5.6, 9.270M), and up 2% and down 3%, respectively, from Steelers/Broncos in Week 3 of the 2010 preseason (6.1, 10.127M, FOX).
This marks the seventh-straight NFL preseason game on NBC to earn at least nine million viewers (dates back to 2009).
Since the current NFL television arrangement began in the 2006-07 season, nine of the ten most-viewed preseason games have aired on NBC. Sunday’s Panthers/Jets game ranks as the seventh-most viewed over that span, while Colts/Steelers the previous week ranks eighth.
Each of the top ten most-viewed games has aired on a Sunday night.
For the week, Panthers/Jets ranked as the highest rated program on television both overall and in the adults 18-49 demographic. In P2+ viewership, however, the game ranked second behind a reality show on NBC.
Most-Viewed NFL Preseason Games
Since current television arrangement began in the 2006-07 season
Asterisk (*) denotes Hall of Fame Game
| # | Date | Away | Home | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun., 8/8/10* | Cowboys | Bengals | NBC |
6.8
|
11,438
|
| 2 | Sun., 8/22/10 | Vikings | Niners | NBC |
6.7
|
10,822
|
| 3 | Sun., 8/21/11 | Chargers | Cowboys | NBC |
6.4
|
10,676
|
| 4 | Sun., 8/6/06* | Raiders | Eagles | NBC |
6.8
|
10,560
|
| 5 | Sun., 8/30/09 | Bears | Broncos | NBC |
6.5
|
10,381
|
| 6 | Sun., 8/29/10 | Steelers | Broncos | FOX |
6.1
|
10,127
|
| 7 | Sun., 8/26/12 | Panthers | Jets | NBC |
6.2
|
9,819
|
| 8 | Sun., 8/19/12 | Colts | Steelers | NBC |
6.0
|
9,506
|
| 9 | Sun., 8/28/11 | Saints | Raiders | NBC |
5.6
|
9,270
|
| 10 | Sun., 8/26/07 | Eagles | Steelers | NBC |
6.0
|
9,201
|
(Sunday’s numbers from TV By the Numbers)
