FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 3rd, 2013
TWO-PART “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” VIEWERSHIP RELEASE
PART I – COWBOYS-REDSKINS IS MOST-WATCHED & HIGHEST-RATED NBC REGULAR-SEASON PRIMETIME GAME EVER
30.3 Million & 17.0 Rating Top ALL NBC Regular-Season Primetime NFL Games
Cowboys-Redskins is Most-Watched and Highest-Rated NFL Game this Season
Most-Watched NFL Regular-Season Primetime Game in 16 Years
Highest-Rated NFL Regular-Season Primetime Game in 15 Years
NEW YORK – January 3, 2013 – The Cowboys-Redskins Sunday Night Football game on NBC is now the most-watched and highest-rated NFL regular-season primetime game ever on NBC, the most-watched NFL regular-season primetime game on any network in 16 years, and the highest-rated and most-watched NFL game this season, according to official national data released today by The Nielsen Company.
Sunday’s game on NBC, in which the Redskins defeated the Cowboys, 28-18, to win the NFC East in America’s game of the week, was seen by 30.3 million viewers, 10 percent higher than last year’s Week 17 game (Cowboys-Giants, 27.62 million), which was also a win-and-in game to determine the winner of the NFC East, and the previous most-watched NBC regular-season primetime NFL game. It also topped the 28.7 million for the Redskins-Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game on Fox, which had been the most-watched NFL game on ANY network this season.
Other Viewership and Ratings Notes for Cowboys-Redskins:
- Most-watched regular-season primetime game on ANY network in 16 years (Packers-Cowboys, 31.5 million, Nov. 18, 1996 on ABC).
- Most-watched NFL primetime regular-season final game in 18 years (32.0 million for 49ers-Vikings, Dec. 26, 1994 on ABC).
- Most-watched Cowboys-Redskins regular-season primetime game in 19 years (31.1 million on Sept. 6, 1993 on ABC).
- The Cowboys-Redskins game received a 17.0 national household rating and a 27 share, up eight percent from last year’s Week 17 game (Cowboys-Giants, 15.7/25), making it the highest-rated Sunday Night Football broadcast ever.
- The two highest-rated NFL games this season are Sunday’s Cowboys-Redskins game and the Sunday Night Football Week 1 game (Steelers-Broncos, 16.5/26).
- Cowboys-Redskins game is most-watched television program on any network (not including the London Olympics) since the Academy Awards (39.3 million on Feb. 26, 2012).
MOST WATCHED NFL REGULAR-SEASON PRIMETIME GAMES ON NBC:
| 1. | 30.3 million | Cowboys-Redskins | 12/30/12 (Sunday Night’s Game) |
| 2. | 27.62 million | Cowboys-Giants | 1/1/12 (2011 SNF Week 17) |
| 3. | 27.57 million | Steelers-Broncos | 9/9/12 (2012 SNF Week 1) |
| 4. | 27.5 million | Vikings-Saints | 9/9/10 (2010 Thursday Night Opener)* |
| 5. | 27.1 million | Saints-Packers | 9/8/11 (2011 Thursday Night Opener)* |
| 6. | 25.8 million | Cowboys-Jets | 9/11/11 (2011 SNF Week 1) |
| 7. | 25.73 million | Eagles-Cowboys | 12/12/10 (2010 SNF Week 14) |
| 8. | 25.68 million | Vikings-Packers | 10/24/10, (Favre Return to Lambeau II) |
| 9. | 25.3 million | Cowboys-Redskins | 9/12/10 (2010 SNF Week 1) |
| 10. | 24.8 million | Giants-Cowboys | 9/20/09 (Cowboys Stadium Debut) |
* NFL Kickoff Games
| HIGHEST-RATED NFL REGULAR-SEASON PRIMETIME GAMES ON NBC: | |
| 1. 17.0/27 | Cowboys-Redskins, 12/30/12 |
| T2. 16.5/28 | Vikings-Saints, 9/9/10* |
| T2. 16.5/26 | Steelers- Broncos, 9/9/12 |
| 4. 16.0/26 | Saints-Packers, 9/8/11* |
| 5. 15.7/25 | Cowboys-Giants, 1/1/12 |
| 6. 15.4/25 | Vikings-Packers, 10/24/10 |
| 7. 15.3/25 | Cowboys-Jets, 9/11/11 |
| 8. 15.2/24 | Eagles-Cowboys, 12/12/10 |
| 9. 15.1/25 | Giants-Cowboys, 9/20/09 |
| 10. 15.0/25 | Cowboys-Redskins, 9/12/10 |
* NFL Kickoff Games
TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR COWBOYS-REDSKINS:
| 1. Washington D.C. | 44.6/68 |
| 2. Richmond | 42.8/60 |
| 3. Norfolk | 37.1/53 |
| 4. Dallas | 36.9/55 |
| T5. San Antonio | 28.4/44 |
| T5. Austin | 28.4/48 |
| 7. Albuquerque | 27.6/41 |
| 8. Baltimore | 23.9/35 |
| T9. Greensboro | 23.6/35 |
| T9. New Orleans | 23.6/32 |
# # #
PART II – SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON NBC IS, ONCE AGAIN, PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW
SNF is No. 2 Show Among Women 18-34 and No. 3 Show Among Women 18-49
11 Games with More Than 20.5 Million Viewers
Sunday Night Football on NBC finished this season as the No. 1 show in primetime (Viewers 2+, household rating, all key adult and male demos, based on Nielsen live + same day data). This marks the third straight fall season, and the only three times on record, that a sports series has been the most-watched show of the primetime TV season at the end of the NFL regular season.
Last year, Sunday Night Football became the first sports series to be the No. 1 show of the entire primetime television season (September-May), and it is on pace to achieve that milestone once again.
SNF: NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM FOR SEASON: For the primetime television season (9/24/12-12/30/12), Sunday Night Football ranks as the most-watched show (persons 2+), the highest-rated show, and the No. 1 program across the key demographics of Adults 18-49, 18-34, 25-54 as well as Men 18-49, 18-34 and 25-54.
- Additionally, SNF is the No. 2 show among Women 18-34 behind only The Voice, and, No. 3 among Women 18-49 behind only The Voice and Big Bang Theory.
NOTE: The primetime television season began on Monday, Sept. 24 and does not include NBC’s Wednesday night opening game or the first three Sunday Night Football games of the season. Those four games averaged 23.5 million viewers.
SNF RANK AMONG PRIMETIME SHOWS (FULL TV SEASON):
| 2012 | 1st (Through 12/30/12) | (Fall Season No. 1 Show) |
| 2011 | 1st | (Fall Season No. 1 Show) |
| 2010 | 3rd | (Fall Season No. 1 Show) |
| 2009 | 4th | (Fall Season No. 2 Show) |
| 2008 | 8th | (Fall Season No. 5 Show) |
| 2007 | 8th | (Fall Season No. 7 Show) |
| 2006 | 9th | (Fall Season No. 7 Show) |
SNF FINAL AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP: Sunday Night Football averaged 21.4 million viewers for the 2012 season, less than one percent below last year’s season average of 21.5 million.
- The 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons of Sunday Night Football are the first three seasons that an NFL primetime package drew more than 21 million viewers since the 1994-1996 seasons of Monday Night Football on ABC.
- The final average household rating of 12.8/20 (19 games) is on pace with the last two seasons of Sunday Night Football and just one-tenth off of last year’s 12.9/20.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON NBC FULL SEASON:
| YEAR | Viewers 2+ HH Rating/Share |
| 2012 | 21.4 million, 12.8/20 |
| 2011 | 21.5 million, 12.9/20 |
| 2010 | 21.8 million, 13.0/21 |
| 2009 | 19.4 million, 11.7/19 |
| 2008 | 16.6 million, 10.2/16 |
| 2007 | 16.0 million, 10.0/16 |
| 2006 | 17.5 million, 11.0/18 |
NBC PRIMETIME GAMES WITH 20.5 MILLION-OR-MORE VIEWERS: This season, 11 NBC primetime NFL games surpassed 20.5 million viewers, tying 2010 for the most in NBC’s seven-year Sunday Night Football history. Last year there were 10 games to surpass 20.5 million. In 2009, there were seven games that surpassed 20.5 million viewers, and from 2006-2008 a total of six games reached that milestone.
SNF GAMES WITH MORE THAN 20.5 MILLION VIEWERS PER SEASON:
2012 – 11
2011 – 10
2010 – 11
2009 – 7
2008 – 2
2007 – 1
2006 – 3
MORE ARE WATCHING NFL FOOTBALL ON SUNDAY NIGHTS: In the seven years since the shift of the NFL’s premier primetime package from Monday to Sunday nights, Sunday Night Football is averaging 5.2 million more viewers (21.4 million) than the last season of Monday Night Football on ABC in 2005 (16.2 million).
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL TOP 30 METERED MARKETS – FULL 2012 SEASON:
| 1. Milwaukee | 22.1/33 |
| 2. New Orleans | 20.9/29 |
| 3. Las Vegas | 18.9/29 |
| 4. Richmond | 18.8/28 |
| 5. Denver | 18.7/32 |
| 6. Norfolk | 18.2/27 |
| 7. Pittsburgh | 18.0/28 |
| T8. Dallas | 17.1/28 |
| T8. Albuquerque | 17.1/26 |
| T10. Baltimore | 16.9/26 |
| T10. San Diego | 16.9/29 |
| 12. Indianapolis | 16.7/26 |
| 13. Sacramento | 16.4/27 |
| 14. Washington D.C. | 16.1/27 |
| 15. Memphis | 15.9/23 |
| 16. Houston | 15.6/25 |
| 17. Nashville | 15.3/22 |
| T18. Atlanta | 14.7/23 |
| T18. Phoenix | 14.7/24 |
| 20. Austin | 14.5/24 |
| 21. Charlotte | 14.4/23 |
| 22. Providence | 14.3/23 |
| 23. San Antonio | 14.2/22 |
| T24. Boston | 14.1/24 |
| T24. Seattle | 14.1/26 |
| T24. Greensboro | 14.1/21 |
| 27. Kansas City | 13.9/22 |
| T28. Philadelphia | 13.8/21 |
| T28. Jacksonville | 13.8/21 |
| T28. Dayton | 13.8/21 |
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–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
