The NFL’s decision to add a Saturday doubleheader in the final week of the season was a ratings hit for ESPN and ABC.
ESPN and ABC combined to average a 10.6 rating and 20.21 million viewers for Cowboys-Eagles and a 10.4 and 19.10 million for Chiefs-Broncos in Saturday’s Week 18 NFL doubleheader, marking the third and fifth-most watched NFL regular season games on the ESPN family of networks since Monday Night Football moved from ABC to ESPN in 2006. Keep in mind they were only the eighth MNF games to air on ABC over that span.
Cowboys-Eagles, which peaked with 23.4 million viewers, was the most-watched game in the MNF package since Patriots-Saints in 2009 (21.40M) — surpassing the previous 12-year high of 19.14 million for Saints-Falcons in 2010. The Chiefs-Broncos lead-in, which peaked with 24.7 million, trails only Cowboys-Eagles as the most-watched MNF game since 2010.
The games also rank as the two most-watched Saturday NFL windows — excluding Christmas Eve and Day — since at least 2000. The last time the NFL played a Saturday game in the final week of the season was 2007, when the Patriots clinched an undefeated season in front of 33.39 million viewers on CBS, NFL Network and NBC.
For the season, Cowboys-Eagles was the most-watched primetime game on any network since Packers-Cardinals on Thursday Night Football in Week 8 (20.26M). It outdrew every Sunday Night Football game since Tom Brady’s return to New England in Week 4 (26.75M).
Despite significant social media hype and an unusual dramatic finish, Chargers-Raiders could not match either Saturday game wit a 9.8 and 17.69 million on NBC’s Sunday Night Football — up 7% from NBC’s season finale last year (Washington-Philadelphia: 9.2, 16.55M). Ratings and viewership actually trailed the previous week’s Vikings-Packers Sunday night game (9.9, 18.55M).
In other Week 18 action, FOX topped the Sunday charts with a 10.3 and 19.31 million for coverage featuring 49ers-Rams in most markets — down 16% in ratings and viewership from its equivalent Week 17 window last year (mostly Packers-Bears: 12.25, 23.01M). The competing window on CBS (mostly Panthers-Buccaneers) pulled a 7.8 and 14.17 million, up 5% from Week 17 last year (mostly Cardinals-Rams: 7.4, 13.51M).
In the early window, CBS led with a 9.1 and 16.86 million for coverage featuring Steelers-Ravens — up 23% in ratings and 28% in viewership from Week 17 last year (mostly Steelers-Browns: 7.4, 13.14M). The competing FOX window (mostly Packers-Lions) turned in a 7.6 (-4%) and 13.78 million (-1%).
A recap of the full NFL season viewership is forthcoming. For figures for each individual window this season, check the following page.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 1.11, network PR]
