FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 21st, 2013
BRONCOS-COLTS ON NBC’S “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” POSTS TOP PRIMETIME OVERNIGHT FOR OCTOBER GAME IN 15 YEARS
Fourth-Highest NFL Overnight in NBC Primetime History; Highest This Season
NBC Records Highest Sunday Primetime Rating for a Network since Oscars in February
SNF wins Adults 18-49 Demo by 64%
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 21, 2013 – Last night’s Denver-Indianapolis NBC Sunday Night Football game featuring Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis, posted a 17.3 overnight rating and 29 share (8:30 p.m.-12:15 a.m. ET) – marking the best primetime overnight for an October game in 15 years and a 48% increase over last season’s Week 7 SNF game (11.7 for Pittsburgh-Cincinnati).
The previous best October primetime NFL overnight was a 17.5 for Minnesota-Green Bay on ABC on Oct. 5, 1998, as Randall Cunningham passed for 442 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-24 Vikings victory over Brett Favre and the Packers.
The 17.3 for the Colts’ down-to-the-wire 39-33 Sunday Night Football victory is the fourth-highest overnight in the eight-year history of NBC’s primetime package (including “NFL Kickoff” games). Following are NBC’s highest overnight ratings for a regular-season game since the debut of Sunday Night Football in 2006:
| Game, Date |
Overnight |
Highlights |
| Dallas-Wash., 12/30/12 |
18.3 |
Rookie Robert Griffin III leads Redskins to NFC East title with 28-18 victory in “win-and-in” Week 17 matchup. Game posted highest regular-season primetime overnight on any network in 15 years. |
| Pittsburgh-Denver, 9/9/12 |
18.0 |
Peyton Manning debuts with a new team (Denver) after missing ’11 season with neck injury, and throws his 400th career TD pass in Broncos’ come-from-behind 31-19 victory. |
| Minn.-New Orleans, 9/9/10 |
17.7 |
Drew Brees leads defending-champion Saints over Brett Favre and Vikings 14-9 in NFC Championship Game rematch in Thursday “NFL Kickoff” opener. |
| Denver-Indy, 10/20/13 |
17.3 |
QB Andrew Luck accounts for 4 TDs to lead Colts to a 39-33 win over Broncos in Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis. |
| N.O.-Green Bay, 9/8/11 |
17.2 |
Aaron Rodgers passes for 312 yards and three scores to lead defending-champion Packers to 42-34 win over Drew Brees (419 yards and 3 TDs) and Saints in Thursday “NFL Kickoff” opener. |
NBC’s Sunday primetime average (13.5/22 from 7-11 p.m. ET in metered-market households) is the highest for any broadcast network on a Sunday night since the Academy Awards on Feb. 24 (22.2/34 on ABC) and topped second-place CBS by 50% (9.0/14).
In the Adults 18-49 demographic, Sunday Night Football easily won the night posting a 10.0 rating – 64% better than the second-ranked show in the demo (6.1 for AMC’s “The Walking Dead”).
Last night’s broadcast peaked at a 19.0/29 from 9:30-10 p.m. ET.
Top 10 Metered Markets:
1. Denver, 49.6/71 – NBC SNF local-market record
2. Indianapolis, 49.1/71 – NBC SNF local-market record
3. Kansas City, 26.7/42
4. New Orleans, 26.1/36
5. Albuquerque, 25.1/37
6. Las Vegas, 23.7/37
7. Sacramemnto, 22.2/35
T8. San Diego, 22.0/37
T8. Richmond, 22.0/33
10. Nashville, 21.8/31
–NBC Sports Group—
