For the second straight week, Sunday NFL ratings mostly increased in the metered markets.
The Week 2 NFL national window, featuring Patriots-Jaguars in 79% of markets, earned a 14.0 overnight rating on CBS — down 12% from last year on FOX (mostly Cowboys-Broncos: 15.9) but up 3% from 2016 on CBS (Colts-Broncos: 13.6).
Compared to last year’s first CBS national window — a Week 3 telecast that featured Bengals-Packers — overnights rose 1% from a 13.8.
The 14.0 would have ranked ninth out of the 18 NFL national windows last season, middle of the pack.
In primetime, Giants-Cowboys delivered a 13.8 overnight on Sunday Night Football — up 10% from last year (Packers-Falcons: 12.6), up a tick from 2016 (Packers-Vikings: 13.7) and NBC’s highest in Week 2 since 2015 (Seahawks-Packers: 16.3).
Compared to last year’s Giants-Cowboys Sunday night game, which aired in Week 1, overnights fell 13% from a 15.8. The 13.8 is the second-lowest for a game between the teams since 2010, ahead of only last year’s Week 14 matchup — which aired in the 1 PM ET window on FOX (10.4).
As for this week’s 1 PM windows, FOX scored a 10.9 for coverage featuring Vikings-Packers in 36% of markets or Cardinals-Rams in 25% — up 18% from last year on CBS (9.2) but down 11% from 2016 on FOX (ft. Dallas-Washington: 12.3).
CBS scored a 9.4 for the first half of its doubleheader, up 11% from last year on FOX (mostly Eagles-Chiefs: 8.5) but down 14% from 2016 on CBS (10.9).
Overnights have increased for six of eight Sunday NFL windows this season.
Though not nearly as much as Hurricane Irma in Week 1 last year, it should be noted that this week’s numbers were impacted to some degree by Hurricane Florence. The Raleigh-Durham market was not included in the figures.
[Numbers from CBS Sports PR, NBC Sports PR, Sports Business Daily 9.17]
