Thursday Night Football ratings got tripped up by a presidential debate.
The latest edition of NFL Thursday Night Football (Giants-Eagles) averaged 10.07 million viewers across FOX and NFL Network, marking the least-watched primetime NFL window on broadcast since Broncos-Cardinals on TNF two years ago (9.10M) and the third-least watched on record. Ratings were not immediately available.
Keep in mind it was just the seventh NFL game to face a presidential or vice presidential debate in the past 30 years. Four years ago, a Falcons-Saints Monday Night Football game averaged 8.05 million on ESPN opposite the most-watched debate on record, still the smallest audience ever for that series. Two weeks later, a Giants-Packers Sunday Night Football game averaged a much stronger 16.62 million on NBC.
Back in 2012, Lions-Bears averaged 10.66 million on MNF opposite both a presidential debate and an MLB NLCS Game 7. Facing a vice presidential debate, a Steelers-Titans TNF NFL Network exclusive averaged 5.65 million.
Keeping that caveat in mind, Philadelphia’s narrow win declined 26% from Week 7 last year (Chiefs-Broncos: 13.68M) but increased 11% from 2018 — the aforementioned record-low Broncos-Cardinals game.
While low by NFL standards, it should be noted that Thursday’s game — a matchup of sub-.500 teams in the league’s worst division — averaged more viewers than any non-NFL sportscast since the College Football Playoff in January. It comfortably topped the previous two nights’ World Series games on FOX, which averaged 9.20 and 8.95 million viewers respectively.
In adults 18-49, TNF averaged a higher rating (3.2) than all-but-two (non-NFL) television programs since the Academy Awards. Games 5 and 6 of the NBA Finals averaged a 3.3. It improved on the previous nights’ World Series games by 33% (vs. Game 1: 2.4) and 39% (vs. Game 2: 2.3).
Notably, the regularly scheduled edition of TNF averaged fewer viewers than the rescheduled Monday afternoon edition three days earlier (Chiefs-Bills: 12.16M). Monday afternoon versus zero competition is still a better ratings scenario than Thursday night versus a presidential debate.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 10.23]
