The unprecedented circumstance of the NFL and Masters taking place on the same day resulted in some unusual ratings on CBS and FOX.
With no competing 1:00 games on CBS due to the Masters, FOX averaged a 10.2 rating and 18.24 million viewers for the first half of its Sunday NFL doubleheader (Buccaneers-Panthers in most markets) — the most-watched early doubleheader window on any network since 2016 (Week 16: 18.40M).*
Ratings jumped a season-high 62% and viewership 73% from last year (mostly Falcons-Saints: 6.3, 10.53M), though the circumstances provide an obvious caveat. It was the first time in recent memory that all of the NFL’s 1:00 games aired on a single network, and the competing final round of the Masters (3.4, 5.59M) was well below what CBS would ordinarily draw for NFL games.
A lack of competition early meant stronger competition late. The FOX national window (mostly Seahawks-Rams or Bengals-Steelers) averaged a 10.7 (-20%) and 20.09 million (-13%) airing opposite a CBS singleheader (mostly Bills-Cardinals) that averaged a 5.8 (-35%) and 10.34 million (-30%).
The singleheader and national window rarely compete directly. Typically, most singleheader games air in the 1:00 PM slot, with one or two late games facing off with the national window in a limited number of markets.
While the windows cannibalized each other — the national window was the least-watched in Week 10 of the season since 2005 (11/13/05: 19.84M) and the singleheader was the least-watched in any week since that same year (10/30/05: 9.45M) — the combined audience for the late games was a whopping 16.5 and 30.43 million, far exceeding the 1:00 games on FOX.
In other words, while the early games look stronger on paper, the late games were watched by many more people. In addition, as compared to a typical week, more viewers were watching the late games than usual and fewer the early games.
Shifting to primetime, NBC averaged an 8.9 and 15.79 million for Patriots-Ravens on Sunday Night Football, down 31% in both measures from last year (Vikings-Cowboys: 12.9, 22.99M) and the least-watched Week 10 edition of SNF since ESPN last held rights in 2005 (9.83M). SNF has now averaged a single-digit rating for seven straight weeks.
Ratings have dropped for all 11 NFL games on NBC this season, with viewership down for all-but-one. [Related: NFL ratings page.]
ESPN’s Monday Night Football (Vikings-Bears) averaged 11.45 million viewers (-28%), the series’ second-best Week 10 audience since 2015 (Texans-Bengals: 12.19M). Last year’s comparable Seahawks-49ers game was the most-watched of last season (15.98M).
* That Week 16 window in 2016 took place on Christmas Eve Saturday. FOX used its 1 PM ET games as “America’s Game of the Week” with its lead broadcast team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman working Packers-Vikings. If you exclude 2016, Sunday’s telecast was the most-watched early window on FOX since 2009.
