The season debut of Thursday Night Football hit multi-year lows in ratings and viewership, despite a solid digital audience.
The Week 2 Jets/Bills Thursday Night Football game earned a 9.5 rating and 15.4 million viewers on CBS and NFL Network, per Nielsen fast-nationals — down 26% in ratings and 27% in viewership from Broncos/Chiefs last year (12.9, 21.1M) and down 25% and 26%, respectively, from Steelers/Ravens in 2014 (12.7, 20.8M), which were the two highest rated and most-watched games in TNF history.
The Jets’ win, which peaked at a 10.1 and 16.4 million from 9:30-10 PM ET, ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched TNF opener since 2013, when Jets/Patriots had a 6.9 and 11.0 million on NFL Network and local affiliates. Six of the eight NFL telecast windows this season have hit multi-year lows in ratings and viewership.
Figures do not include the 314,000 viewers who watched streaming coverage on CBS and NFL-owned digital platforms or on Twitter, which is in its first year as the primary streaming partner for Thursday Night Football. Twitter alone generated 243,000 viewers.
Thursday’s digital audience was the largest of the young season in primetime (five broadcasts). The previous high was 308,000 for 49ers/Rams on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The NFL Kickoff Game, which aired the previous Thursday night, had 278,000. Digital numbers for afternoon windows were not immediately available.
With the digital numbers included, Thursday’s game had 15.7 million viewers — still the lowest for the TNF opener since 2013.
Of the 17 Thursday Night Football games simulcast on CBS and NFL Network, Jets/Bills ranks just 13th in viewership — even with the digital audience included. The only games to deliver a smaller audience were Buccaneers/Falcons in 2014 (11.9M), Chargers/49ers on a Saturday that same year (8.0, 13.0M) and Falcons/Saints (14.8M) and Colts/Texans (15.1M) last year.
Among adults 18-49, TNF scored a 5.4 rating — down 28% from last year and 2014 (7.5 both years).
(Thu. numbers from CBS Press Express; ShowBuzz Daily)
