Yet another blowout led to a season-low for Sunday Night Football, but the series is still holding up well compared to last year.
The Week 10 Bears/Packers Sunday Night Football game drew a 10.6 final rating and 18.1 million viewers on NBC, down 14% in ratings and viewership from Cowboys/Saints last year (12.3, 21.1M), down 15% and 13%, respectively, from Texans/Bears in 2012 (12.4, 20.9M), and the lowest rated SNF telecast of the season.
The previous low was a 10.8 for Giants/Eagles in Week 6. Sunday’s game narrowly avoided a season-low in viewership, edging Giants/Eagles by less than one percent (18.13M to 18.09M).
The Packers won by 41 points, just the latest blowout on Sunday Night Football. The extensive garbage time has taken a toll, as SNF slipped under a 12.0 rating six times in 11 telecasts — compared to three such games at the comparable point last year.
Despite the increase in lower rated blowouts, SNF has held up well compared to last year. NBC averaged a 12.4 rating and 21.1 million viewers through Week 11 (includes the NFL Kickoff Game), down only 2% in each category from a 12.6 and 21.5 million last year.
While this season ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed through ten games since 2009 (12.0, 19.8M), it is still within 5% of NBC’s ten-week record of 12.9 (set in 2011) and 21.5 million (set last year).
Among adults 18-49, Bears/Packers drew a 6.5 rating — down 17% from last year (7.8) and down 18% from 2012 (7.9).
(Sun. numbers from Media Life Magazine; avg. viewership from NBC Sports)
