For the first time all season, NFL ratings climbed above the once-common 15.0 mark.
The Week 15 NFL national window, featuring Patriots-Steelers in 91% of markets, had a 15.2 rating and 26.9 million viewers on CBS — up 6% in ratings and 8% in viewership from last year (mostly Patriots-Broncos: 14.3, 25.0M) and up 5% and 8% respectively from 2015 (mostly Broncos-Steelers: 14.5, 25.0M).
The telecast, which peaked with 31.6 million viewers from 7-7:30 PM ET, delivered the NFL’s largest Week 15 audience since Packers-Cowboys on FOX in 2013 (27.8M).
It also ranks as the highest rated and most-watched NFL telecast of the season. The previous highs were a 14.3 for the Week 2 national window (mostly Cowboys-Broncos) and 26.3 million for the Chargers-Cowboys Thanksgiving game.
Last season, Sunday’s game would have ranked as the fourth-highest rated and sixth-most watched. In 2015, it would have ranked 11th in both measures. In 2014, it would have ranked 12th in ratings and 11th in viewership.
Compared to previous Patriots-Steelers games, this year’s matchup increased 21% in ratings and 24% in viewership from Week 7 last year (12.6, 21.7M) but declined 6% and 2% respectively from the 2015 Kickoff Game on NBC (16.2, 27.4M).
For the year, it outperformed all non-NFL sporting events except for Game 7 of the World Series (15.8, 28.9M).
Earlier in the day, regional action had a 6.0 (-32%) and 9.9 million (-34%), the lowest marks for an afternoon window on broadcast all season.
The 2017 NFL ratings chart is available here.
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 12.19]
