NBC opened the 2010-11 NFL season with its two largest regular season audiences since regaining rights to the league in 2006.
Sunday night’s Cowboys/Washington game drew a 15.0 final rating and 25.262 million viewers on NBC, up 19% in ratings and 20% in viewership from Bears/Packers last year (12.6, 21.102 mil), up 34% and 38%, respectively, from Bears/Colts in 2008 (11.2, 18.351 mil) and up 29% and 39%, respectively, from Giants/Cowboys in 2007 (11.6, 18.157 mil).
This marks the second-most viewed regular season NFL telecast on NBC since the network resumed airing games in 2006, behind only Thursday’s Vikings/Saints NFL Kickoff Game (27.485 mil).
Going back further, the game stands as the second-most viewed primetime regular season NFL game on any network dating back to 1997, behind only Vikings/Saints.
From 1997 to 2009, the most-viewed primetime regular season game was Giants/Cowboys on NBC in Week 2 last year (24.817 mil).
The game also ranks as the third-highest rated on NBC since ’06, behind the aforementioned Vikings Saints (16.5) and Giants/Cowboys (15.1) games.
Cowboys/Washington drew the 21st largest audience for a sporting event in 2010, behind 13 other NFL games (including Vikings/Saints and the Week 1 national window on FOX), five Winter Olympics telecasts, the BCS National Championship Game (30.776 mil) and Game 7 of the NBA Finals (28.203 mil).
Sunday’s game was the #2 primetime program of the week in ratings, viewers and “all key demographics” — including the key adults 18-49 demo (9.6). Vikings/Saints took the top spot.
Overall, NBC averaged a 15.7 rating and over 26 million viewers for its Week 1 coverage, up 24% and 25%, respectively, from last year.
