NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL AVERAGING NEARLY 26 MILLION VIEWERS – BEST START FOR NFL PRIMETIME PACKAGE IN 21 YEARS
First Time in 10 Seasons of SNF on NBC That Each of First Four Telecasts Is Up vs. Prior Year
More than 22 Million Watched Broncos-Lions Week 3 Game – Up 12% From ‘14
Football Night in America Continues Record Pace
Record 91 Million Live Minutes of SNF Streamed to Date on NBC Sports Live Extra
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 29, 2015 – Through the opening three weeks of the NFL season (four telecasts), NBC’s Sunday Night Football is averaging 25.6 million viewers – the best viewership for the NFL’s broadcast primetime package at this point in the season in more than two decades (25.9 million in 1994), according to official national data released by The Nielsen Company.
SNF viewership is up 10% from last year at this time (23.2 million viewers). Sunday Night Football is also averaging a 14.9/26 national household rating and a 9.5 rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic, up 10% and 7%, respectively from this point last season.
The Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos’ 24-12 victory over the Detroit Lions this past Sunday drew an average of 22.1 million viewers, up 12% from last year’s Week 3 SNF game (19.8 million for Steelers-Panthers) and ranking as the second-most watched Week 3 game in SNF history.
Following the viewership increases for the season’s first three SNF telecasts, this marks the first time in the 10-season history of Sunday Night Football on NBC that each of the first four games had a larger audience than the corresponding game the prior season.
Football Night in America (7:30-8:15 p.m. ET), the most-watched studio show in sports, is averaging 10.9 million viewers – the best start in the show’s 10-season history and up 33% from last year at this point (8.2 million).
In addition:
- The Denver-Detroit Sunday Night Football telecast (8:31-11:44 pm ET), highlighted by Manning’s 324 passing yards and two touchdowns as the Broncos improved their record to 3-0, posted a 13.1/22 national household rating, up 10% from last year’s Week 3 game (11.9/20).
- Sunday Night Football led NBC to a decisive Sunday win in all key measures, taking the night among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox by a 138% margin in Adults 18-49 (6.9 vs. 2.9 for #2 CBS).
TOP METERED MARKETS FOR BRONCOS-LIONS:
| 1. Denver | 44.8/69 |
| 2. Detroit | 28.2/42 |
| 3. Las Vegas | 20.0/31 |
| 4. Indianapolis | 19.8/34 |
| 5. Milwaukee | 19.7/30 |
| 6. Albuquerque | 19.1/31 |
| 7. Richmond | 17.9/27 |
| 8. New Orleans | 17.8/25 |
| 9. Memphis | 17.4/26 |
| 10. Nashville | 16.2/24 |
DIGITAL: NBC Sports Live Extra’s presentation of Broncos-Lions totaled 16.7 million live streaming minutes, nearly tripling consumption from last year’s Week 3 game (6.1 million).
Through four games, the 2015 NFL season has delivered 91 million live minutes and 1.3 million unique users on NBC Sports Live Extra, up 55% and 16%, respectively, from 2014.
