MIDWAY POINT: LOCAL RATINGS ON RECORD PACE
NFL GAMES TOP LOCAL RATINGS IN 26 OF 30 MARKETS
Since the beginning of the 2011 NFL season, NFL games have topped the local ratings in NFL markets 86 percent of the time – tied with last year’s record pace through nine weeks.
NFL games topped local ratings in 26 of 30 NFL markets last week. In addition, NFL games compared favorably in local ratings to prime-time competition:
| Program |
# of NFL Markets Ranked #1 |
| NFL Football |
26 |
| College Football: LSU vs. Alabama |
3 |
| Dancing With The Stars |
1 |
Following is the list of the NFL markets where football was the top-rated program for the week of Oct. 31 – Nov. 6:
Week of 10/31 – 11/6
|
|
HH |
HH |
RTG |
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| Market | Game |
Date |
RTG |
SHR |
Rank |
| Pittsburgh | Ravens at Steelers |
11/6/11 |
53.0 |
71 |
1 |
| Milwaukee | Packers at Chargers |
11/6/11 |
51.3 |
76 |
1 |
| New Orleans | Buccaneers at Saints |
11/6/11 |
48.2 |
71 |
1 |
| Baltimore | Ravens at Steelers |
11/6/11 |
45.0 |
63 |
1 |
| San Diego | Packers at Chargers |
11/6/11 |
39.1 |
62 |
1 |
| Boston | Giants at Patriots |
11/6/11 |
38.5 |
60 |
1 |
| Cincinnati | Bengals at Titans |
11/6/11 |
36.4 |
57 |
1 |
| Buffalo | Jets at Bills |
11/6/11 |
35.5 |
61 |
1 |
| Kansas City | Chargers at Chiefs* |
10/31/11 |
33.2 |
59 |
1 |
| Denver | Broncos at Raiders |
11/6/11 |
32.1 |
59 |
1 |
| Dallas | Seahawks at Cowboys |
11/6/11 |
29.9 |
59 |
1 |
| Indianapolis | Falcons at Colts |
11/6/11 |
25.9 |
49 |
1 |
| St. Louis | Rams at Cardinals |
11/6/11 |
25.0 |
39 |
1 |
| Cleveland | Browns at Texans |
11/6/11 |
23.2 |
47 |
1 |
| Washington, DC | 49ers at Redskins |
11/6/11 |
21.7 |
48 |
1 |
| Minneapolis | Packers at Chargers |
11/6/11 |
21.6 |
41 |
1 |
| Houston | Browns at Texans |
11/6/11 |
21.5 |
44 |
1 |
| Seattle | Seahawks at Cowboys |
11/6/11 |
21.0 |
49 |
1 |
| New York | Giants at Patriots |
11/6/11 |
20.7 |
36 |
1 |
| Philadelphia | Giants at Patriots |
11/6/11 |
20.0 |
33 |
1 |
| Phoenix | Rams at Cardinals |
11/6/11 |
19.8 |
36 |
1 |
| San Fran-Oakland | 49ers at Redskins |
11/6/11 |
19.2 |
48 |
1 |
| Tampa | Buccaneers at Saints |
11/6/11 |
18.9 |
40 |
1 |
| Chicago | Packers at Chargers |
11/6/11 |
18.9 |
33 |
1 |
| Miami | Dolphins at Chiefs |
11/6/11 |
17.1 |
37 |
1 |
| Charlotte | Giants at Patriots |
11/6/11 |
15.7 |
26 |
1 |
* Local affiliate & ESPN combined
Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company
HALFTIME REPORT: NFL GAME VIEWERSHIP DOUBLES BROADCAST PRIMETIME IN SEASON OF FANTASTIC FINISHES
NFL Games Rank as 13 of TV’s 15 Most-Watched Shows this Season
19 of 20 Most-Watched Shows among Adults 18-49 &
8 Most-Watched Shows on Cable
Fans have made the 2011 NFL season must-see TV for good reason…they have been captivated by the fantastic finishes. In Week 9, all five 4:00 PM ET games, the Sunday night game and the Monday night game were all within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter – putting the NFL on an active seven-game streak of fantastic finishes. For the season, more than two thirds of games (90 of 130) have been one-score games in the fourth quarter.
The average NFL game telecast (including broadcast and cable) has drawn 17.9 million viewers – more than double the average primetime viewership (8.4 million) for the big four broadcast networks in the new television season, according to information provided by The Nielsen Company. In addition, NFL games account for 13 of the 15 most-watched programs on television since the NFL season kicked off on Sept. 8 (chart below).
Following are some fast facts at midseason:
- NFL games account for 19 of the 20 most-watched programs on television (since Sept. 8) among adults aged 18-49 – with each of the broadcast networks televising NFL games represented on that list.
- An NFL game telecast has been television’s most-watched program in seven of the nine weeks of the NFL season.
- ESPN Monday Night Football games rank as the eight most-watched shows on cable this fall.
- NBC’s Sunday Night Football is averaging a record 21.4 million viewers through Week 9 and ranks as the No. 1 show in primetime this television season in the key Adult 18-49 demographic. NBC’s Sunday Night Football opener (Cowboys-Jets on Sept. 11) was the most-watched SNF game ever with 25.8 million viewers.
- FOX is averaging 20.0 million viewers* – on pace for its most-watched season ever. The Oct. 16 FOX national telecast (mostly Cowboys-Patriots) is the most-watched sporting event since Super Bowl XLV with an average of 28.4 million viewers.
- CBS is averaging 17.1 million viewers* – the network’s second most-watched season since it began televising the AFC package in 1998.
- NFL Network viewership is up 21 percent in primetime and up 17 percent for its Sunday programming.
- On NFL.com, fans have accessed more than twice as much video than last year at this point with page views increasing 64 percent.
(*NOTE: Final CBS and FOX numbers will be available Thursday when the Sunday Nov. 6 regional/single game numbers are released. Estimates for those telecasts are included in the above averages.)
Following are the most-watched programs on television since the beginning of the NFL season:
| Program | Viewers |
| 1. CBS’ Two and a Half Men (Season Premiere), 9/19 | 28.7 million |
| 2. FOX Sunday National (mostly Cowboys-Patriots), 10/16 | 28.4 million |
| 3. FOX Sunday National (mostly Giants-Patriots), 11/6 | 28.2 million |
| 4. NBC Thursday Night Kickoff Game (Saints-Packers), 9/8 | 27.1 million |
| 5. FOX Sunday National (mostly Giants-Redskins), 9/11 | 25.8 million |
| 6. NBC Sunday Night Football (Cowboys-Jets), 9/11 | 25.8 million |
| 7. FOX World Series Game 7 (Rangers-Cardinals), 10/28 | 25.4 million |
| 8. CBS Sunday National (mostly Patriots-Steelers), 10/30 | 24.6 million |
| 9. FOX Sunday National (mostly Packers-Vikings), 10/23 | 24.3 million |
| 10. FOX Sunday National (mostly Packers-Bears), 9/25 | 24.0 million |
| 11. NBC Sunday Night Football (Eagles-Falcons),9/18 | 23.4 million |
| 12. FOX Sunday Single (mostly Lions-Cowboys), 10/2 | 23.3 million |
| 13. CBS Sunday National (mostly Packers-Broncos), 10/2 | 23.0 million |
| 14. NBC Sunday Night Football (Cowboys-Eagles), 10/30 | 23.0 million |
| 15. CBS Sunday National (mostly Chargers-Patriots), 9/18 | 22.7 million |
Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company
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