In the same week CBS drew the best ratings for an NFL game in eleven years, the NFL drew record low ratings in primetime on both broadcast and cable.
NBC drew the lowest rating ever for a primetime NFL game on Sunday night. Saints/Seahawks drew a 7.1/11 rating with 11.2 million viewers, down 3% from the previous record low 7.7 rating and 11.5 million viewers for a Buccaneers/Rams Monday Night Football game in 2004. The 7.1 rating marks a 10% decline from the 7.9 rating for the comparable Raiders/Broncos game last year.
Through seven games, NBC is averaging a 10.3 rating for Sunday Night Football, 6% from an 11.0 rating through the same point last year.
One night after NBC set the all-time broadcast primetime record low, ESPN drew the lowest rating ever for a Monday Night Football game. Giants/Falcons drew a 5.7 national rating on Monday night, down 41% from the 9.6 rating the comparable Bears/Cardinals game averaged last year.
The 5.7 national rating is off 4% from the previous record low, which was a 5.9 rating for 49ers/Cardinals in September. That game began at 10:00 PM ET, as part of an MNF doubleheader. While MNF won the night “among men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54“, the MLB playoff telecast that aired opposite the game drew a rating 16% higher.
Through seven games, Monday Night Football is averaging a 7.1 national rating, down 17% from an 8.6 average through seven games last year.
