The NFL season began as the last one ended: the Broncos won, the Panthers lost, and fewer viewers tuned in.
Thursday’s Panthers/Broncos NFL Kickoff Game earned a 14.6 rating and 25.2 million viewers on NBC, per Nielsen fast-nationals, down 10% in ratings and 8% in viewership from Steelers/Patriots last year (16.2, 27.4M) and down 7% in both measures rom Packers/Seahawks in 2014 (15.7, 27.1M).
The Broncos’ win ranks as the lowest rated Kickoff Game in seven years, since Titans/Steelers in 2009 (12.8), and the least-watched in three — since the Broncos’ previous Kickoff appearance against the Ravens (25.1M).
Figures do not include the live streaming audience on the various NBC Sports and NFL online platforms (278K). With those numbers included, Thursday’s game scored 25.4 million viewers.
Though down from previous years, Panthers/Broncos still delivered the fifth-largest audience in the history of the Kickoff Game (15 telecasts dating back to 2002). The last three editions rank among the top five.
For the year, Panthers/Broncos ranks as the eleventh-most watched television program since the Super Bowl — behind eight nights of the Summer Olympics, Game 7 of the NBA Finals (31.0M) and the Academy Awards (34.4M).
Considering that their Super Bowl meeting hit three-year lows in ratings and viewership — just the second time in a decade that the “Big Game” posted a year-over-year decline — the lower numbers for Thursday’s rematch should be no surprise. Despite Cam Newton‘s starpower, the Panthers are still a non-traditional team. Without Peyton Manning, the Broncos’ sole appeal is defense, which may win championships but does not drive television ratings.
Ratings in the adults 18-49 demographic were not immediately available.
(Thu. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
