The ratings did not quite live up to the months of hype and controversy, but Sunday’s long-awaited AFC Championship Game rematch hit multiple milestones on NBC.
The Week 6 Patriots/Colts Sunday Night Football game drew a 13.1 final rating and 22.8 million viewers on NBC, up 21% in ratings and 26% in viewership from Giants/Eagles last year (10.8, 18.1M), up 3% in both measures from Washington/Cowboys in 2013 (12.7, 22.1M), and the most-watched primetime NFL telecast in Week 6 of the season since NBC resumed coverage in 2006.
The Patriots’ win also scored the largest audience for primetime NFL action opposite the MLB League Championship Series since 1996, when 49ers/Packers had 26.5 million on ABC. Head-to-head, it easily topped Game 2 of the Cubs/Mets NLCS on TBS (6.6M).
Though strong historically, Sunday’s game does not rank among NBC’s top telecasts of the season. It tied the network’s second-lowest rating through Week 6, matching Broncos/Lions in Week 3 and ahead of only 49ers/Giants the previous week (11.8), and drew its third-smallest audience — ahead of those same two games.
NBC has now averaged a 14.1 rating and 24.1 million viewers for NFL coverage this season, up 9% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (12.9, 21.9M) and the league’s highest rated and most-watched primetime package through Week 6 since 1997 (14.8) and 1996 (24.5M), respectively. All seven NFL games on NBC have now hit multi-year highs in ratings and viewership, the network’s longest such streak to start the season since reacquiring rights.
Among adults 18-49, Sunday’s game had an 8.2 rating — up 24% from last year (6.6) but down 2% from 2013 (8.4). NBC has averaged an 8.9 in the demo this season, up 6% from last year.
(Sun. numbers/season avg. from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
