FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 6th, 2021
DECADE OF DOMINANCE: NBC’S “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” CONCLUDES SEASON ON PACE TO BE TV’S #1 PRIMETIME SHOW FOR UNPRECEDENTED 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
NBC SNF Tops Primetime Competition in Average Viewership and HH Rating & Delivers 7 of 10 Most-Watched Primetime Telecasts on Any Network Since September
SNF Wins among Adults 18-49 for 13th Consecutive Fall Season
NBC’s Football Night in America is Sports’ #1 Weekly Studio Show for 15th Consecutive Year
NBC Sports Digital Sets SNF Streaming Record for Average Minute Audience, Up 24% from 2019
STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 6, 2021 – With last Sunday night’s Washington-Philadelphia matchup, NBC concluded its 15th season of Sunday Night Football, topping all primetime television series in the fall and once again pacing to finish as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 10th consecutive year. NBC’s SNF extended its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen.
Most Consecutive Years, #1 Ranked Show in Primetime, Since 1950
10 years in a row – Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2020-21; on pace)
6 years in a row – American Idol (2005-06 through 2010-11)
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)
NBC Sunday Night Football posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) average of 17.4 million viewers for the 2020 season, according to official national live plus same day data released by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
“We salute our tireless production and engineering teams, NFL players, and clubs for their effort and perseverance in completing a most challenging season. We are extremely proud of our decade as primetime television’s No. 1 show, and are looking forward to the playoffs,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “It’s tremendous to be airing two games on NBC on Super Wild Card Weekend, including the first-ever NFL game streamed on our new Peacock platform and the first-ever NFL postseason game on the Telemundo broadcast network.”
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL AMONG GREATEST DYNASTIES IN AMERICAN SPORTS
Following is a look at NBC SNF’s 10 years of primetime dominance in the context of the winningest decades of great American sports dynasties:
Dominant 10-Year Spans in U.S. Team Sports
10 times TV’s #1 primetime show – NBC Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2020-21; on pace)
9 NBA championships – Boston Celtics (1956-57 to 1965-66)
9 NCAA Division I Men’s College Basketball championships – UCLA (1963-64 to 1972-73)
7 World Series championships – New York Yankees (multiple times)
6 Stanley Cup championships – Toronto Maple Leafs (1941-42 to 1950-51) and Montreal Canadiens (multiple times)
6 NCAA Division I Women’s College Basketball championships – Connecticut (2008-09 to 2015-16)
5 NFL championships – Green Bay Packers (1961-67)
5 NCAA Division I Football championships (since 1900) – Minnesota (1934-41) and Alabama (2009-17)
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- FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA IS MOST-WATCHED STUDIO SHOW FOR 15TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
NBC’s Football Night in America studio show averaged 6.0 million viewers from 7:30-8:15 p.m. ET this season. FNIA continues its reign as sports’ most-watched weekly studio show for the 15th consecutive year (since the show’s 2006 debut season). In addition, the 8-8:23 p.m. ET portion of Football Night in America (including pre-kick coverage), averaged 10.4 million viewers, and a 3.0 rating among Adults 18-49, which would respectively rank No. 5 and No. 4 among regularly-scheduled primetime shows in the demographic.
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- SNF POSTS HUGE VIEWERSHIP & RATINGS ADVANTAGES OVER PRIMETIME’S #2 SHOW
NBC Sunday Night Football averaged 16.8 million TV viewers in 2020, which topped the #2 primetime show by 19%. SNF also beat the top scripted series (NCIS) by 73% in the fall.
Top Fall 2020 Primetime Programs, Viewership (TV only)
| Program | Avg. Viewers | SNF Advantage |
| Sunday Night Football | 16.8 million | — |
| Thursday Night Football* | 14.1 million | 19% |
| Monday Night Football | 12.2 million | 38% |
| 60 Minutes | 11.1 million | 51% |
| NCIS | 9.7 million | 73% |
(Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day Viewing, Sept. 10, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; regularly-scheduled programs; excludes pre- and post-shows); *9 FOX/NFLN telecasts
SNF averaged an 9.3/20 household rating in posting a 21% advantage over primetime’s #2 show. SNF also easily topped the highest-rated scripted series (NCIS), with a 60% margin.
Top Fall 2020 Primetime Programs, U.S. HH Rating (TV only)
| Program | U.S. HH Rating | SNF Advantage |
| Sunday Night Football | 9.3 | — |
| Thursday Night Football* | 7.7 | 21% |
| Monday Night Football | 6.9 | 35% |
| 60 Minutes | 6.7 | 39% |
| NCIS | 5.8 | 60% |
(Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day Viewing, Sept. 10, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; regularly-scheduled programs; excludes pre- and post-shows); *9 FOX/NFLN telecasts
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- DEMO DOMINANCE — SNF WINS ADULT 18-49 DEMO FOR 13TH CONSECUTIVE FALL SEASON
SNF averaged a 4.9 rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic, ranking as primetime television’s #1 show in the advertiser-coveted demo for the 13th consecutive fall TV season.
Top Fall 2020 Primetime Programs, Adult 18-49 Rating (TV only)
| Program | Adult 18-49 Rating | SNF Advantage |
| Sunday Night Football | 4.9 | — |
| Thursday Night Football* | 4.1 | 20% |
| Monday Night Football | 3.7 | 32% |
| The Masked Singer | 1.7 | 188% |
| 60 Minutes | 1.4 | 250% |
(Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day Viewing, Sept. 10, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021; regularly-scheduled programs; excludes pre- and post-shows); *9 FOX/NFLN telecasts
NBC SNF GAMES PRODUCE 7 OF 10 MOST-WATCHED PRIMETIME SHOWS THIS FALL
NBC Sunday Night Football accounted for seven of the top 10, and 14 of the 20 most-watched primetime telecasts between Sept. 10, 2020 and Jan. 3, 2021.
Most-Watched Primetime Shows This Fall (Sept. 10, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021), TV only
| Show, Date | Avg. Viewers |
| NBC Sunday Night Football (Texans-Chiefs), 9/10 | 20.6 million |
| NBC Sunday Night Football (Chiefs-Raiders), 11/22 | 19.6 million |
| ESPN CFP Semifinal (Ohio State-Clemson), 1/1 | 19.1 million* |
| NBC Sunday Night Football (Cowboys-Rams), 9/13 | 19.0 million |
| NBC Sunday Night Football (Titans-Packers), 12/27 | 18.4 million |
| FOX News Presidential Debate, 9/29 | 17.9 million |
| NBC Sunday Night Football (Packers-Saints), 9/27 | 17.9 million |
| NBC Sunday Night Football (Patriots-Seahawks), 9/20 | 17.8 million |
| CBS 60 Minutes, 10/25 | 17.4 million |
| NBC Sunday Night Football (Broncos-Chiefs), 12/6 | 17.1 million |
Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day Data, 9/10/20-1/3/21; Excludes Pre- and Post-Shows
*Viewership across three television networks
SNF AVERAGE (P2+) VIEWERSHIP RANK AMONG PRIMETIME SHOWS:
Fall TV Season Full TV Season
| 2020 | No. 1 Show | 1st (through 1/3/21) |
| 2019 | No. 1 Show | 1st |
| 2018 | No. 1 Show | 1st |
| 2017 | No. 1 Show | 1st |
| 2016 | No. 1 Show | 1st |
| 2015 | No. 1 Show | 1st |
| 2014 | No. 1 Show | 1st |
| 2013 | No. 1 Show | 1st |
| 2012 | No. 1 Show | 1st |
| 2011 | No. 1 Show | 1st |
| 2010 | No. 1 Show | 3rd |
| 2009 | No. 2 Show | 4th |
| 2008 | No. 5 Show | 8th |
| 2007 | No. 7 Show | 8th |
| 2006 | No. 7 Show | 9th |
Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day Viewing
SNF SETS STREAMING RECORD: NBC Sports Digital hit another viewership milestone for Sunday Night Football in 2020, with a record Average Minute Audience of 571,000 viewers across NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, NFL Digital platforms, and Verizon Media mobile properties – up 24% from the prior record (459,000) set last year.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL TOP 20 METERED MARKETS – 2020 SEASON:
For the third consecutive year, and sixth time (2010, 2011 and 2013) in 11 seasons, New Orleans was the top-rated SNF market. Milwaukee was the top-rated SNF market in 2017 and 2012, while Denver ranked #1 for three consecutive seasons from 2014-16.
| 1. New Orleans | 20.2/30 |
| 2. Kansas City | 18.9/32 |
| 3. Seattle | 18.4/34 |
| 4. Milwaukee | 16.8/30 |
| 5. Albuquerque | 15.0/25 |
| T6. Philadelphia | 14.1/25 |
| T6. San Diego | 14.1/27 |
| T6. Las Vegas | 14.1/25 |
| 9. Pittsburgh | 14.0/24 |
| 10. Buffalo | 13.8/23 |
| 11. Sacramento | 13.7/26 |
| 12. Denver | 13.5/26 |
| 13. Richmond | 13.3/24 |
| 14. Nashville | 13.2/23 |
| 15. Baltimore | 12.7/23 |
| T16. Providence | 12.6/23 |
| T16. Dallas | 12.6/25 |
| 18. Minneapolis | 12.5/26 |
| T19. Washington, D.C. | 12.2/24 |
| T19. Portland | 12.2/25 |
NBC will televise a pair of games on NFL Super Wild Card Weekend. This Saturday, Jan. 9 in primetime, six-time Super Bowl-winner Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Alex Smith and the NFC East champion Washington Football Team, with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special Football Night in America. Then on Sunday night Jan. 10, two-time NFL champion Ben Roethlisberger and the AFC North-winner Pittsburgh Steelers host Baker Mayfield and the division-rival Cleveland Browns, with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special FNIA on NBC and Peacock.
–SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL–
