Despite Decline, NFL Opener a Success For NBC

Over 27 million viewers tuned into Thursday’s NFL season opener, still down slightly from last year’s comparable game.

The Saints/Packers 2011 NFL Kickoff Game earned a 16.0 final rating and 27.2 million viewers on NBC Thursday night, down 3% in ratings and 1% in viewership from last year’s opener (MIN/NO: 16.5, 27.485M), but up 25% and 30%, respectively, from 2009 (TEN/PIT: 12.8, 20.909M).

Despite the decline, the Packers’ win ranks as the second-highest rated, second-most viewed primetime, regular season NFL game since the 1990s.

This marks just the fifth time since resuming coverage in 2006 that NBC has earned at least 25 million viewers for an NFL game. All five occurrences have taken place over the past year.

Saints/Packers ranks as the 13th-most viewed sporting event of the calendar year, behind every game of the 2010-11 NFL playoffs and January’s BCS National Championship Game (AUB/ORE: 27.316M, ESPN).

Among adults 18-49, Thursday’s game drew a 10.9 rating — up 2% from last year (10.7), up 27% from 2009 (8.6), and the highest rating in the demo for a primetime NFL regular season game since December 1997.

Overall, NBC averaged a 9.9 adults 18-49 rating in primetime Thursday night, the network’s best Thursday (excludes Olympics) since the series finale of the situation comedy Friends.

Ratings and Viewership For NFL Kickoff Game Since 2002 Debut
With Adults 18-49 ratings since 2003

Year	Date	Game	Net	Rating	Viewers (000)	A18-49
2011	Thu., 9/8/11	NO 34, GB 42	NBC	16.0	27,170	10.9
2010	Thu., 9/9/10	MIN 9, NO 14	NBC	16.5	27,485	10.7
2009	Thu., 9/10/09	TEN 10, PIT 13	NBC	12.8	20,909	8.6
2008	Thu., 9/4/08	WSH 7, NYG 16	NBC	8.6	13,531	5.4
2007	Thu., 9/6/07	NO 10, IND 41	NBC	11.5	17,791	7.4
2006	Thu., 9/7/06	MIA 17, PIT 28	NBC	12.6	19,196	7.8
2005	Thu., 9/8/05	OAK 20, NE 30	ABC	11.7	18,006	7.7
2004	Thu., 9/9/04	IND 24, NE 27	ABC	11.4	16,879	7.2
2003	Thu., 9/4/03	NYJ 13, WSH 16	ABC	12.9	19,150	7.7
2002	Thu., 9/5/02	SF 16, NYG 13	ESPN	7.6	10,799	—