FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 8th, 2017

NBC’S “NFL KICKOFF” GAME IS MOST-WATCHED SHOW IN THREE MONTHS WITH MORE THAN 22 MILLION VIEWERS

Total Audience Delivery (TAD) for Chiefs-Patriots Opener Averages 22.2 Million Viewers across NBC TV Broadcast, NBC Sports Digital & NFL Mobile from Verizon

Chiefs-Patriots Is NBC Sports Digital’s Most-Consumed SNF Game Ever

Dak Prescott & Dallas Cowboys Host Eli Manning & NFC East Rival New York Giants This Sunday on NBC; Coverage Begins with FNIA at 7 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – September 8, 2017 – The Kansas City Chiefs’ 42-27 victory over the New England Patriots in the NFL Kickoff game on NBC last night averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 22.2 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – marking the most-watched show in three months, according to Fast National data released today by The Nielsen Company, and digital data from Adobe Analytics. Last night’s viewership is up 8% from the 2016 full-season SNF average Total Audience Delivery (20.5 million viewers).

Kansas City’s victory, highlighted by Alex Smith’s 368 passing yards with four touchdowns, and running back Kareem Hunt’s 246 scrimmage yards in his NFL debut, also ranks as the most-watched Thursday night show since last year’s NFL Kickoff game.

NBC averaged 21.8 million TV viewers for Chiefs-Patriots, ranking as television’s most-watched show since NBA Finals Game 5 on June 12, 2017. Last night’s viewership is also expected to double the combined total of the other broadcast networks in primetime when national ratings become available next week. The Average Minute Audience (AMA) for last night’s live stream via the NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com, NBC.com ‘TV Everywhere,’ and NFL Mobile from Verizon was 355,000 viewers – the highest ever for a game in the SNF package.

NBC Sports Digital’s live stream of last night’s NFL Kickoff game ranks as its most streamed SNF game ever. Fans consumed 82.7 million live streaming minutes across 1.3 million unique devices, up 38% and 28%, respectively, from last year’s NFL Kickoff game. The game’s average minute audience of 355,000 is up 32% from last year (268,000).

NBC viewership for the game (not including digital) peaked from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET with 23.9 million viewers. Last night’s game (8:42 p.m.-midnight ET) registered a national TV household rating of 12.6/23.

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR CHIEFS-PATRIOTS:

1. Providence 35.6/55
2. Kansas City 35.5/55
3. Boston 35.0/59
4. Denver 20.6/38
5. New Orleans 20.4/29
T6. Norfolk 18.9/31
T6. Richmond 18.9/30
8. Buffalo 17.7/30
9. Milwaukee 17.2/28
10. Seattle 17.1/32

NBC Sports’ NFL Kickoff Weekend coverage continues this Sunday with the season opener of Sunday Night Football as 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year Dak Prescott and the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys host two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and the New York Giants from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Sunday night opener marks the 11th meeting between the Giants and Cowboys in NBC’s SNF package – the most-played matchup in the show’s history (since 2006). Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America.

–SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL–