For all of NBC’s success in the Week 1 of the NFL season, FOX came away with the ratings crown.
Sunday’s NFL national window, featuring Packers/Eagles, drew a 16.5 final rating and 28.023 million viewers on FOX — up 12% in ratings and viewership from last year (WSH/NYG*: 14.8, 25.109 mil), up 27% and 34%, respectively, from 2008 (DAL/CLE*: 13.0, 20.921 mil), and up 21% and 27%, respectively, from 2007 (CHI/SD*: 13.6, 22.125 mil).
This marks the highest rated, most-viewed Week 1 national window ever on FOX.
The national window drew the largest audience of Week 1, even topping Thursday’s Vikings/Saints opener on NBC (27.485 mil). The 16.5 rating ties Vikings/Saints as the highest of the week.
Only three telecasts last season drew more viewers — the Week 16 national window on CBS (28.240 mil), the Week 7 national window on FOX (28,399 mil) and the Week 8 national window on FOX (29,820 mil).
Additionally, the telecast stands as the most-viewed sporting event since Game 7 of the Celtics/Lakers NBA Finals in June (28.203 mil) and is tied as the highest rated since Night Five of the Winter Olympics in February (16.7).
In the key adults 18-49 demographic, the national window drew a 10.8 rating — the highest of Week 1 and the top rating for a sporting event in the demo since the aforementioned Celtics/Lakers Game 7 (11.4).
Asterisk (*) indicates featured game of national window.
(FOX press release from Fang’s Bites; Additional information from pifeedback.com)
