After a rough week one, Week 2 of the NFL season got off to an encouraging start.
Texans-Bengals earned a 4.9 rating and 8.1 million viewers on the premiere of NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football, up a tick in ratings and 2% in viewership from the channel’s first exclusive game last year, Dolphins-Bengals in Week 4 (4.8, 7.9M). Compared to its first such telecast in 2015, Browns-Bengals in Week 9, ratings fell 11% (from 5.5) and viewership 8% (from 8.8M).
Compared to last year’s TNF opener, Jets-Bills on both CBS and NFL Network, ratings fell 48% and viewership 47% from a 9.5 and 15.4 million.
The Texans’ win peaked with 8.8 million viewers from 11-11:15 PM ET.
TNF delivered a 3.1 rating in adults 18-49, up a tick from NFL Network’s first exclusive telecast last season. It was the day’s top television program in all adult demographics and in viewership.
[Thu. numbers from NFL, ShowBuzz Daily 9.15]
