Week 2 of the NFL season delivered strong overnight ratings on FOX, less so on NBC.
FOX averaged a 13.6 overnight rating for its Week 2 NFL doubleheader, up 16% from last year’s comparable doubleheader on CBS, and tied as the network’s highest average in any week since Week 10 of the 2016 season.
The NFL national window, featuring Saints-Rams in 81% of markets, averaged a 15.8 overnight — up 13% from last year on CBS (mostly Patriots-Jaguars: 14.0), but down a tick from 2017 on FOX (mostly Cowboys-Broncos: 15.9). Compared to last year’s Week 9 Rams-Saints game, overnights increased 4% from a 15.2.
The 15.8 is the second-highest overnight of the young NFL season, trailing the previous week’s national window (mostly Giants-Cowboys) by a tick.
The early window, featuring Dallas-Washington in 52% of markets, averaged an 11.4 — the highest for the early doubleheader window since Week 11 of the 2016 season on CBS (ft. Ravens-Cowboys: 11.9), and the highest for that window on FOX since Week 14 in 2013 (ft. Lions Eagles: 11.8).
Overnights increased 21% from last year on CBS (9.4) and up 34% from 2017 on FOX (8.5). In addition to the Cowboys game, the window also featured Vikings-Packers and Seahawks-Steelers.
The good times did not extend to NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Eagles-Falcons averaged a 12.2, the lowest for SNF in Week 2 of the season since 2008 (Steelers-Browns: 11.9). Overnights fell 12% from last year (Giants-Cowboys: 13.8) and 3% from 2017 (Packers-Falcons: 12.6).
Rounding out the day’s action, CBS averaged a 9.9 for its Week 2 singleheader — down 9% from last year on FOX (ft. Vikings-Packers: 10.9), but up 8% from 2017 on CBS (9.2). Overnights did increase 19% from the second CBS singleheader last year, which aired in Week 3 (8.3).
[Nielsen estimates from Fox Sports, NBC Sports, CBS]
