The Christmas holiday helped NBC to yet another multi-year high for its NFL coverage.
Broncos/Chiefs scored a 10.6 rating and 21.4 million viewers in the Week 16 edition of NBC’s Sunday Night Football, per Nielsen fast-nationals — up 2% in ratings and 20% in viewership from Vikings/Giants last year (10.4, 17.9M) and down 8% but up 11%, respectively, compared to Seahawks/Cardinals in 2014 (11.5, 19.3M).
Compared to the last Sunday Night Football game on Christmas, Bears/Packers in 2011, ratings fell 16% from a 12.6 and viewership 11% from 24.0 million.
The Chiefs’ win, which peaked with 23.3 million viewers from 9:15-9:30 PM ET, ranks as the most-watched Week 16 edition of SNF since Bears/Packers in ’11. Not including four Thursday Night Football windows that aired on NFL Network last year, it was the fourth of the past nine NFL telecasts on NBC to hit a multi-year high.
Dating back to the start of Week 10 on November 10, NBC’s Sunday night package (including Thanksgiving) has averaged 21.2 million viewers — compared to 19.3 million in the previous nine weeks through November 7.
Relative to Christmas, Sunday’s game delivered the third-largest NFL audience on the holiday since the turn of the century. The top two spots are held by the 2011 Bears/Packers game and Eagles/Cowboys on NBC in 2006 (23.2M). It also earned the fourth-highest rating over that span, behind the 2011 and 2006 games and Cowboys/Titans on ABC in 2000 (11.0).
Figures do not include the 81,000 who watched on NFL and NBC digital platforms. With those numbers included, the game had 21.5 million.
| RATINGS/VIEWERSHIP FOR NFL ON CHRISTMAS, 2000-PRESENT Ranked by viewership; this year’s games highlighted |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Year | Time | Game | Net | Rtg. | Vwrs. |
| 1 | 2011 | 8:30 PM | Bears Packers |
NBC | 12.6 | 24.02M |
| 2 | 2006 | 5:00 PM | Eagles Cowboys |
NBC | 12.1 | 23.21M |
| 3 | 2016 | 8:30 PM | Broncos Chiefs |
NBC | 10.6 | 21.40M |
| 4 | 2005 | 5:00 PM | Bears Packers |
FOX | 9.7 | 17.40M |
| 5 | 2000 | 9:00 PM | Cowboys Titans |
ABC | 11.0 | 17.30M |
| 6 | 2004 | 5:00 PM | Raiders Chiefs |
CBS | 8.6 | 15.79M |
| 7 | 2016 | 4:30 PM | Ravens Steelers |
NFLN | 6.5 | 14.80M |
| 8 | 2006 | 8:30 PM | Jets Dolphins |
ESPN | 6.5 | 11.08M |
| 9 | 2005 | 8:30 PM | Vikings Ravens |
ESPN | 5.4 | 8.76M |
| 10 | 2004 | 8:30 PM | Broncos Titans |
ESPN | 4.9 | 8.42M |
| 11 | 2010 | 8:00 PM | Cowboys Cardinals |
NFLN | 3.8 | 7.84M |
| 12 | 2009 | 8:00 PM | Chargers Titans |
NFLN | 3.3 | 6.88M |
(Sun. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box 12/27)
