Two of the biggest NFL turkeys, the Lions and Seahawks, were perhaps not as enthralling as actual turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
FOX and CBS both saw declines for NFL coverage on Thanksgiving Day. The winless Lions’ loss to the Titans on CBS drew a 10.9/26 overnight early Thursday, down 22% from a 13.9 for last year’s comparable Packers/Lions game on FOX. The 10.9 overnight is the lowest for a Thanksgiving Day NFL contest on broadcast in at least seven years.
Meanwhile, FOX drew an 11.4/29 overnight for Seahawks/Cowboys later in the day, off 8% from a 12.4 for Jets/Cowboys on CBS in ’07.
The NFL ended the holiday weekend on much better note, as CBS and NBC both saw strong ratings on Sunday.
CBS drew a 16.3/28 overnight for its late game on Sunday, featuring Steelers/Patriots and Broncos/Jets, up 6% from a 15.4 for Giants/Bears in Week 13 last year. The 16.3 overnight is the second-highest of the season for an NFL game, behind only a 16.8 for Cowboys/Giants.
On Sunday night, NBC drew a solid 11.1 overnight for Bears/Vikings, up 6% from a 10.5 for Bengals/Steelers in Week 13 a year ago.
Thanksgiving Day NFL overnights.
since 2001
2008: 10.9 (TEN/DET, CBS), 11.4 (SEA/DAL, FOX)
2007: 13.9 (GB/DET, FOX), 12.4 (NYJ/DAL, CBS)
2006: 12.1 (MIA/DET, CBS), 12.4 (TB/DAL, FOX)
2005: 12.2 (ATL/DET, FOX), 13.3 (DEN/DAL, CBS)
2004: 12.7 (IND/DET, CBS), 11.8 (CHI/DAL, FOX)
2003: 13.7 (GB/DET, FOX), 13.0 (MIA/DAL, CBS)
2002: 12.5 (NE/DET, CBS), 11.9 (WSH/DAL, FOX)
2001: 13.0 (GB/DET, FOX), 11.1 (DEN/DAL, CBS)
