Sunday Night Football Ratings Hit 9-Year Low in '17

Sunday Night Football ratings fell to a nine-year low in 2017, capped off with an all-time Week 16 low last weekend, but there were some positives amidst the gloom.

Last Saturday’s Vikings-Packers Sunday Night Football special had an 8.4 rating and 15.3 million viewers on NBC, down 21% in ratings and 29% in viewership from Chiefs-Broncos on Christmas night last year (10.6, 21.4M) and down 19% and 14% respectively from Vikings-Giants in 2015 (10.4, 17.9M).

Minnesota’s shutout was the lowest rated Week 16 SNF game since NBC acquired rights and the least-watched since another Vikings game — against Washington — in 2007 (14.1M). The multi-year lows are no surprise given the Saturday night slot and the lack of playoff implications.

In adults 18-49, Saturday’s 4.1 rating was the lowest for SNF in any week of the season since Seahawks-Buccaneers in 2008 (3.9).

Vikings-Packers ended up as the SNF season finale as the NFL decided not to schedule a Sunday night game in Week 17. The abbreviated Sunday Night Football package averaged a 10.3 rating and 18.2 million viewers, down 10% in ratings and viewership from last year (11.4, 20.3M) and down 21% and 19% respectively from 2015 (13.0, 22.5M).

It was the lowest rated and least-watched SNF season since 2008 (10.2, 16.6M) and the third-lowest rated and fourth-least watched since NBC began airing the games in 2006.

Seven of the 18 SNF games had a single-digit rating, matching 2008 as the most in any season since 2007 (10). Four games had less than a 9.0, matching 2008 and 2007 as the most in the NBC era.

Despite the lower numbers, Sunday Night Football held up well against the competition. Not only did it retain its spot as television’s top regularly scheduled primetime program, it did so by record margins.

SNF outdrew the #2 primetime program — Thursday Night Football on CBS — by 20% in ratings (10.3 to 8.6), 29% in viewership (18.2M to 14.1M) and 36% in adults 18-49 (6.1 to 4.5). In ratings and viewership, it was SNF‘s biggest win since NBC acquired rights. In the demo, it was the biggest win since 2012.

Compared to the top non-sports programs, SNF beat CBS’ The Big Bang Theory by 27% in ratings (10.3 to 8.1) and 30% in viewership (18.2M to 14.0M) and AMC’s The Walking Dead by a whopping 61% in adults 18-49 (6.1 to 3.8). SNF beat The Walking Dead by just 21% last season.

Keep in mind that events like the World Series are not considered regularly scheduled programs. SNF averaged a lower rating and viewership than the seven-game Astros-Dodgers Fall Classic (10.7, 18.9M), though it came out ahead in adults 18-49 (6.1 to 5.1). It trailed last year’s five-game Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals in all three measures (11.3, 20.4M, 7.4 A18-49).