Sunday’s NFL singleheader hit a multi-year ratings high on FOX. Also: the season’s first Manchester Derby declined on NBCSN, and college basketball’s Armed Forces Classic inched up on ESPN.
NFL Singleheader Hits Week 10 High
Sunday’s Week 10 NFL singleheader, featuring Saints-Bengals in 33% of markets or Chargers-Raiders in 26%, had a 8.4 rating and 14.2 million viewers on FOX — up 17% in ratings and 20% in viewership from last year (7.2, 11.8M) and up 8% in both measures from 2016 (7.8, 13.2M). Those telecasts aired on CBS.
The telecast marked the highest rated and most-watched Week 10 singleheader since 2015 on FOX (ft. Vikings-Raiders: 11.6, 19.6M).
Despite the increase, ratings and viewership were the third-lowest for the singleheader this season.
Manchester Derby Dips on NBCSN
The English Premier League Manchester Derby — Manchester United vs. Manchester City — drew a 0.47 rating and 750,000 viewers on NBCSN Sunday morning, down 15% in ratings and 17% in viewership from last year’s first meeting the rivals, which took place in December (0.55, 902K). Compared to their first meeting in 2016, which took place in September, ratings increased 12% (from 0.42) and viewership 20% (from 623K). Those matches also aired on NBCSN.
Slight Bump For Hoops’ Armed Forces Classic
Arkansas-Texas scored a 0.47 rating and 726,000 viewers in Friday’s college basketball Armed Forces Classic on ESPN, up 4% in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (Texas A&M-West Virginia: 0.45, 710K) but down 49% and 53% respectively from the record-high audience in 2016 (Indiana-Kansas: 0.9, 1.54M).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 11.13, Programming Insider 11.12]
