Week one of the NFL season brought multi-year highs to FOX, CBS and ESPN.
FOX led the way among NFL rightsholders during Week 1 of the NFL season. The 4:25 PM ET national window, featuring Packers/49ers in 94% of markets, earned a 17.8 overnight rating on FOX — up 4% from coverage featuring 49ers/Packers last year (17.2), and up 4% from coverage featuring Giants/Washington in 2011 (17.1). The 17.8 is the highest ever for a Week 1 NFL telecast on FOX.
The network’s early window coverage, which featured Falcons/Saints in 38% of markets, earned a 10.2 overnight — even with coverage featuring Washington/Saints last year (10.2), and up 15% from coverage featuring Eagles/Rams in 2011 (8.9).
On CBS, the Week 1 singleheader earned an 11.2 overnight — up 8% from last year (10.4), and up 6% from 2011 (10.6). According to Sports Business Daily, the 11.2 is the network’s highest for the Week 1 singleheader in 14 years.
Shifting to primetime, the Giants/Cowboys “Sunday Night Football” game drew a 16.6 overnight on NBC — down 8% from Steelers/Broncos last year (18.0), and down 2% from Cowboys/Jets in 2011 (16.9). Of note, both NBC Week 1 games had declines in overnight ratings compared to last year (the Thursday opener did finish with an increase in the final ratings).
Wrapping up Week 1, ESPN drew an 11.6 overnight for Monday’s Eagles/Washington game — up 43% from Ravens/Bengals last year (8.1), up 13% from Patriots/Dolphins in 2011 (10.3), and the network’s best Week 1 overnight since acquiring Monday night rights.
The Texans/Chargers nightcap earned a 7.7 overnight, down 3% from Chargers/Raiders last year (7.9), and even with Raiders/Broncos in 2010 (7.7). Texans/Chargers was the lowest rated NFL telecast window of Week 1 in the metered markets.
NFL Week 1 Overnights
With comparisons to the previous week and the previous two years
| Window | Featured Game | Net | Ovrnt. Rating | Last Week | Last Year | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | Home | ||||||
| Kickoff | Ravens | Broncos | NBC |
16.2
|
None
|
16.5
|
17.2
|
| Single | Bengals | Bears | CBS |
11.2
|
None
|
10.4
|
10.6
|
| Regional | Falcons | Saints | FOX |
10.2
|
None
|
10.2
|
8.9
|
| National | Packers | Niners | FOX |
17.8
|
None
|
17.2
|
17.1
|
| SNF | Giants | Cowboys | NBC |
16.6
|
None
|
18.0
|
16.9
|
| MNF1 | Eagles | Washington | ESPN |
11.6
|
None
|
8.1
|
10.3
|
| MNF2 | Texans | Chargers | ESPN |
7.7
|
None
|
7.9
|
7.7
|
(Week 1 overnights from Sports Business Daily, ESPN)
