In its third consecutive season of growth, NBC averaged the highest rating for any NFL broadcast package in twelve seasons.
Eighteen regular season NFL games averaged a 13.0 rating and 21.8 million viewers on NBC during the 2010-11 season, up 11% in ratings and 12% in viewership from last year (11.7, 19.418 mil, 17 telecasts), and up 28% and 31%, respectively, from 2008 (10.2, 16.638 mil).
This marks the highest rated, most-viewed NFL season on NBC since the network resumed airing games in the 2006-07 season.
Additionally, this is the highest average rating for any NFL broadcast package since the 1999-00 season, when ABC averaged a 13.7 for Monday Night Football.
This season alone, NBC earned eight of its ten largest regular season NFL audiences since ’06. Four of the network’s games topped 25 million viewers, compared to zero such games in the previous four seasons combined.
Every single game on NBC drew a double-digit rating, the first time that has happened since the network resumed coverage. The network’s season-low of 10.3 (PHI/SF in Week 5) topped three games from last season.
New Orleans (25.0) was the top local market for Sunday Night Football, according to Sports Business Daily, with Milwaukee (21.9) and Las Vegas (20.8) finishing second and third, respectively.
Dating back to the start of the 2010-11 television season in September, Sunday Night Football was the top primetime program on television in viewership and all key adult and male demographics.
According to USA Today, this marks the “first time a sports series has ranked as the most-watched show” from the start of the TV season to the end of the NFL regular season.
Ratings/Viewership For Sunday Night Football on NBC During 2010-11 Season
| Date | Game | Net | Rating | +/- | Viewers (000) | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., 9/9/10 | MIN 9, NO 14 | NBC |
16.5
|
29%
|
27,485
|
31%
|
| Sun., 9/12/10 | DAL 7, WSH 13 | NBC |
15.0
|
19%
|
25,262
|
20%
|
| Sun., 9/19/10 | NYG 14, IND 38 | NBC |
13.8
|
-9%
|
23,100
|
-7%
|
| Sun., 9/26/10 | NYJ 31, MIA 23 | NBC |
11.3
|
6%
|
18,147
|
4%
|
| Sun., 10/3/10 | CHI 3, NYG 17 | NBC |
12.5
|
14%
|
20,929
|
14%
|
| Sun., 10/10/10 | PHI 27, SF 24 | NBC |
10.3
|
6%
|
16,856
|
5%
|
| Sun., 10/17/10 | IND 27, WSH 24 | NBC |
11.7
|
7%
|
19,115
|
5%
|
| Sun., 10/24/10 | MIN 24, GB 28 | NBC |
15.4
|
69%
|
25,675
|
71%
|
| Sun., 10/31/10 | PIT 10, NO 20 | NBC |
10.7
|
—
|
18,106
|
—
|
| Sun., 11/7/10 | DAL 7, GB 45 | NBC |
11.6
|
-11%
|
19,368
|
-11%
|
| Sun., 11/14/10 |
NE 39, PIT 26
|
NBC |
12.8
|
-7%
|
21,182
|
-5%
|
| Sun., 11/21/10 |
NYG 17, PHI 27
|
NBC |
13.9
|
31%
|
23,204
|
34%
|
| Sun., 11/28/10 |
SD 36, IND 14
|
NBC |
11.4
|
-1%
|
19,100
|
-1%
|
| Sun., 12/5/10 |
BAL 10, PIT 13
|
NBC |
13.4
|
7%
|
22,509
|
8%
|
| Sun., 12/12/10 |
PHI 30, DAL 27
|
NBC |
15.2
|
20%
|
25,728
|
23%
|
| Sun., 12/19/10 |
GB 27, NE 31
|
NBC |
14.0
|
27%
|
24,166
|
33%
|
| Tue., 12/28/10 |
MIN 24, PHI 14
|
NBC |
13.8
|
27%
|
23,736
|
25%
|
| Sun., 1/2/11 | STL 6, SEA 16 | NBC |
11.3
|
13%
|
19,357
|
19%
|
