Ratings and viewership for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” have dropped for four straight weeks.
The Week 4 Patriots/Falcons “Sunday Night Football” game earned a 12.5 final rating and 20.5 million viewers on NBC last week, down 11% in ratings and 10% in viewership from Giants/Eagles last year (14.1, 22.8M), but up 9% and 8%, respectively, from Jets/Ravens in 2011 (11.5, 18.9M).
Sunday’s double-digit declines rank as the largest of the season for NBC. All four “Sunday Night Football” telecasts have declined, with only the Thursday night Kickoff Game providing an increase.
Patriots/Falcons also ranks as the least-viewed NFL telecast of the season on NBC, but only barely.
Among adults 18-49, “SNF” earned a 7.6 rating — down 16% from last year (9.0), and down a tick from 2011 (7.7).
NBC has averaged a 13.5 rating and 22.6 million viewers for NFL coverage through Week 4, according to Sports Business Daily — down 5% in ratings and 3% in viewership from last year (14.2, 23.3M), down 3% in both measures from 2011 (13.9, 23.2M).
According to SBD, this marks the lowest four-week average for “SNF” since 2009.
(Week 4 finals from Media Life Magazine; 4-week avg. from Sports Business Daily)
