NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL POSTS ITS MOST-WATCHED, HIGHEST-RATED SEASON EVER & IS ON PACE TO BE TV’S #1 PRIMETIME SHOW FOR HISTORIC 5TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

4^th Primetime Show since 1950 to Rank #1 for 5 Consecutive TV Seasons

SNF Is Most-Watched NFL Primetime Package in 19 Years

Wins Adult 18-49 Demo for 8^th Consecutive Fall Season

2^nd-Best Season Ever for NBC’s Football Night in America

Vikings-Packers Week 17 “NFC North Championship Game” on SNF Averages 24.3 Million Viewers – Up 17% From ’14 Finale

Record 3.4 Million Unique Users Live Streamed 303 Million Live Minutes of SNF Season via NBC Sports Live Extra

STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 6, 2016 – NBC’s 10^th season of Sunday Night Football in 2015 was both record-setting and memorable, wrapping up this past Sunday night as NBC’s most-watched and highest-rated SNF season ever, and on pace to rank as primetime television’s #1 show for the fifth consecutive year, based on live plus same day data provided by The Nielsen Company.

The record-setting season began with the most-watched Kickoff Weekend ever, featured a historic battle of unbeatens on Nov. 1 (6-0 Green Bay vs. 6-0 Denver), and celebrated numerous player milestones (Tom Brady’s record for QB wins with one team; Drew Brees’ 400^th career touchdown pass; Peyton Manning tying the NFL record for career QB victories; and Brett Favre’s Thanksgiving night halftime “Ring of Honor” ceremony in Green Bay, with a special appearance from Bart Starr), on its way to double-digit domination against its primetime TV competition in viewership, household rating, and in the Adult 18-49 demographic.

• SNF IS MOST-WATCHED NFL PRIMETIME PACKAGE IN 19 YEARS

NBC’s Sunday Night Football averaged 22.5 million viewers in 2015 – the best viewership ever for SNF on NBC, and tops for the NFL’s premier primetime package in 19 years (22.7 million for ABC’s MNF in 1996). SNF viewership increased 6% from last season (21.3 million viewers), and outpaced its nearest primetime competitor by 28% in the fall (chart below).

Top Fall 2015 Primetime Programs, Viewership

(Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day Viewing, Sept. 7, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016; regularly-scheduled programs)

*8 CBS/NFLN telecasts

• SNF IS HIGHEST-RATED NFL PRIMETIME PACKAGE IN 16 YEARS

SNF averaged a record 13.0/22 household rating, matching the 2010 SNF season as the best for the NFL’s premier primetime package in 16 years (13.7/23 for ABC’s MNF in 1999). The season rating for SNF increased 4% from 2014 (12.5/21), and topped the second-ranked primetime show by 19% (chart below).

Top Fall 2015 Primetime Programs, U.S. HH Rating

(Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day Viewing, Sept. 7, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016; regularly-scheduled programs)

*8 CBS/NFLN telecasts

• SNF WINS ADULT 18-49 DEMO FOR 8^TH CONSECUTIVE FALL SEASON

SNF averaged an 8.0 rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic, ranking as primetime television’s #1 show in the advertiser-coveted demo for the eighth consecutive fall TV season. The 8.0 in the demo is up 4% from last season (7.7) and 19% above primetime TV’s #2 show among Adults 18-49 (chart below).

Top Fall 2015 Primetime Programs, Adult 18-49 Rating

(Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day Viewing, Sept. 7, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016; regularly-scheduled programs )

*8 CBS/NFLN telecasts

• SNF PACING TO BE #1 IN PRIMETIME FOR HISTORIC 5^TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

NBC’s Sunday Night Football is on pace to rank as the No. 1 show in U.S. household rating and viewership for the entire primetime television season for the fifth consecutive year (September-May season, based on Nielsen live plus same day data), which puts it in rare company as one of only four TV shows since 1950 to accomplish the feat (chart below).

Most Consecutive Years, #1 Ranked Show in Primetime, Since 1950

6 years in a row – American Idol (2005-06 through 2010-11)

5 years in a row – Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2015-16)

5 years in a row – The Cosby Show (1985-86 through 1989-90)…tied Cheers in ‘89-90

5 years in a row – All in the Family (1971-72 through 1975-76)

4 years in a row – Gunsmoke (1957-58 through 1960-61)

• SNF’s WEEK 17 “NFC NORTH CHAMPIONSHIP GAME” BESTS 2014 FINALE BY 17%

Last Sunday’s Week 17 NBC Sunday Night Football game for the NFC North title, featuring the Minnesota Vikings’ 20-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers (8:31-11:35 p.m. ET), averaged 24.3 million viewers – topping by 17% the 20.7 million viewers for last year’s Week 17 SNF “AFC North Championship Game” (Pittsburgh’s 27-17 win over Cincinnati), which was also a non-elimination game, as both clubs had already qualified for the playoffs. Vikings-Packers posted a 13.8/23 U.S. HH rating, up 16% from last year’s Week 17 game (11.9/20).

Additional highlights from the 2015 NBC Sunday Night Football season:

• Since the beginning of the 2011-12 TV season, only seven primetime shows have averaged 21+ million viewers, all on NBC – Sunday Night Football five times, the 2012 London Summer Games and the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

• 12 games delivered at least 21 million viewers – the most in NBC SNF In addition, 13 of the 19 games on NBC’s 2015 SNF slate produced year-over-year viewership increases from 2014.

• NBC averaged 22.5 million viewers for its 19 NFL telecasts, marking the sixth consecutive season with an average of 21+ million viewers – the first such six-year stretch for the NFL primetime package since 1991-96 (ABC’s Monday Night Football).

• 24 local markets averaged at least a 15.0 rating for the full NBC SNF season – up from 16 markets last year. A chart of the top 30 SNF markets in 2015 is below.

• Football Night in America (7:30-8:15 p.m. ET), the most-watched weekly studio show in sports, averaged 8.7 million viewers – the second-best season in the show’s 10-season history (behind only 2011) and up 7% from last year (8.1 million). In addition, the 8-8:30 p.m. ET portion of Football Night in America (including pre-kick coverage), is averaging 13.2 million viewers, and a 4.5 rating among Adults 18-49, which would rank No. 6 among regularly-scheduled primetime shows in the demographic.

• NBC averaged a record 27.1 million viewers for its two NFL Kickoff Weekend games – New England’s 28-21 win over Pittsburgh in the Thursday night opener, and Dallas’ come-from-behind 27-26 victory over the New York Giants on the debut of Sunday Night Football.

• The Chicago Bears’ down-to-the-wire 17-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers was the NFL’s most-watched Thanksgiving primetime game ever, with 27.8 million viewers. The game is also NBC’s second-most watched NFL regular-season game since acquiring the SNF package in 2006 (behind only the 30.3 million for the Dallas-Washington, Week 17 “win-and-in” game).

NBC NFL GAMES PRODUCE 13 OF 15 MOST-WATCHED PRIMETIME SHOWS THIS FALL

Only 15 primetime telecasts between Sept. 7, 2015 and Jan. 3, 2016 averaged at least 20 million viewers – NBC’s Sunday Night Football accounted for 13 (chart below).

Most-Watched Primetime Shows (Sept. 7, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016)

Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day Viewing

SNF AVERAGE (P2+) VIEWERSHIP RANK AMONG PRIMETIME SHOWS:

Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day Viewing

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON NBC -- FULL SEASON:

Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day Viewing

SNF SETS STREAMING RECORD: The 2015 Sunday Night Football season is the most streamed SNF season ever. SNF delivered a record 3.4 million unique users – a 3% increase from the previous record set last season – watching the SNF live stream to desktops and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product. In addition, the 2015 NFL season delivered a record 303 million live minutes on NBC Sports Live Extra, up 75% from 2014. The 2015 SNF slate also produced Live Extra’s 10 best non-Olympic authenticated events ever.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL TOP 30 METERED MARKETS – FULL 2015 SEASON:

For the second consecutive season, Denver was the top-rated SNF market. New Orleans was the highest-rated market in 2013 as well as in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Milwaukee was the highest-rated SNF market in 2012. Denver also ranked No. 1 in 2006, the first year of SNF on NBC.

NBC televises this Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Playoff as the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings (11-5) host the two-time defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks (10-6). Coverage begins at Noon ET.

Next Saturday, January 16, NBC presents the NFC Divisional Playoff featuring the second-seed Arizona Cardinals (13-3) at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. NBC’s Divisional Playoff coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
--NBC SPORTS GROUP--