The bar was low, but Week 1 NFL ratings still bounced back in the metered markets.
The Week 1 NFL national window, featuring Cowboys-Panthers in 80% of markets, had a 15.7 overnight rating on FOX Sunday — up a tick from last year (mostly Seahawks-Packers: 15.6) and down 7% from 2016 (mostly Giants-Cowboys: 16.9).
The 15.7 is the second-highest for the Week 1 national window since the 2014 season (mostly 49ers-Cowboys: 17.4). Going back further, it ranks as the seventh-highest since the 2004 season, right in the middle of the pack (14 telecasts).
In primetime, the Packers’ comeback win over the Bears earned a 14.4 on NBC’s Sunday Night Football — down 9% from last year (Giants-Cowboys: 15.8), down 3% from 2016 (Patriots-Cardinals: 14.8) and the network’s lowest Week 1 SNF overnight since the same matchup nine years ago (Packers-Bears: 13.4).
Despite the low, the 14.4 is the highest for a primetime Packers game since the 2015 season.
As for the early afternoon windows, CBS earned a 10.6 overnight for its singleheader coverage — up 23% from last year (8.6), up 4% from 2016 (10.2) and the highest for the Week 1 singleheader since 2015 on FOX (11.7).
FOX scored an 8.8 for regional coverage featuring 49ers-Vikings in a plurality of markets — up 5% from last year (mostly Philadelphia-Washington: 8.4) but down 19% from 2016 (feat. Packers-Jaguars: 10.8).
It should be noted that last year’s Week 1 numbers were atypically low due to coverage of Hurricane Irma.
[Numbers from NBC Sports, Fox Sports PR/Twitter 9.10, CBS Sports, Sports TV Ratings]
