Though well below the standard set by NBC’s Sunday Night Football, Thursday Night Football has done quite well this year considering the poor quality of play.
The Week 5 Vikings/Packers Thursday Night Football game drew a 9.8 final rating and 16.5 million viewers on CBS and NFL Network, up 113% in ratings and 117% in viewership from Bills/Browns on NFL Network and local affiliates last year (4.6, 7.6M) and the second-most watched TNF game ever (dates back to 2006). Only Ravens/Steelers in Week 2 drew a larger audience (20.8M).
Vikings/Packers was just the latest Thursday night blowout. The Packers won by 32 points, one week after the Giants beat Washington by 21 and two weeks after the Falcons crushed the Buccaneers by 42.
Huge increases were of course expected for Thursday Night Football given the addition of CBS. The numbers are not quite as impressive when compared to the other primetime NFL package on broadcast TV — Sunday Night Football. Vikings/Packers drew a smaller audience than all-but-one SNF game since 2011, topping only last year’s Week 15 Bengals/Steelers game (16.4M).
For the season, NBC’s primetime games (including the Thursday night kickoff) have outdrawn Thursday Night Football by 42% (23.0M to 16.2M).
That is not to suggest Thursday Night Football has been a ratings bust. The numbers may be mediocre by NFL standards, but TNF has given CBS big increases over last year’s comedy line-up (including a 33% jump in viewership this past week) and helped the network to easy Thursday night wins for four consecutive weeks.
Among adults 18-49, Vikings/Packers drew a 5.9 rating. Last year’s Bills/Browns game had a 2.8 in the demo on NFL Network (not including local affiliates).
(Thu. numbers from CBS Press Express; A18-49 numbers from TV By the Numbers)
