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
|
—
|
(This year’s numbers from NBC Sports Group via Fang’s Bites; additional information from TV By the Numbers)
