The Cowboys/Giants rivalry gave NBC its first close game in weeks, but still underperformed in the ratings.
The Week 12 Cowboys/Giants Sunday Night Football game drew a 14.0 overnight rating on NBC, down 18% from last year’s ‘Brady vs. Manning’ Broncos/Patriots game (17.0) but up 4% from Packers/Giants in 2012 (13.5). The 14.0 is the highest on NBC since 49ers/Broncos in Week 7 and tied as the network’s fourth-highest overnight of the season.
Though solid, the 14.0 is well below what would usually be expected for a Cowboys/Giants game. The rivals’ last five meetings on NBC each topped a 16.0, including a 16.6 in Week 1 last year.
The 18% decline is tied as the largest year-over-year drop on NBC this season, matching Patriots/Colts a week earlier. While last year’s game was an unusually strong draw due to the Manning/Brady match-up, 18% is a surprisingly steep decline for what was a marquee game in its own right.
Unlike in previous weeks, a lopsided score was not the blame. The Cowboys won by a field goal, snapping a streak of eight straight SNF telecasts decided by at least 20 points.
For the day, Cowboys/Giants finished a distant second behind the NFL national window on CBS (17.4).
(Sun. overnights from Sports Business Daily)
