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NBC SCORES BEST NFL KICKOFF EVER
NBC SCORES BEST NFL KICKOFF EVER
Record 19.3 Million Viewers Watch Defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers Defeat Dolphins on NBC
NBC's First-Ever Thursday Night NFL Broadcast Scores 12.6 Rating, Up 8% from 2005, Second-Highest Thursday NFL Kickoff Rating Ever
NEW YORK � Sept. 8, 2006 � Last night's NFL Kickoff 2006 on NBC averaged 19.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched Thursday night season opener ever, according to fast national ratings released today by Nielsen Media Research. NBC's first regular-season broadcast in eight years scored a 12.6 household rating/21 share, the highest rating in three years, since the inaugural NFL Kickoff on network television (12.9 on ABC in 2003).
NBC's first regular season NFL broadcast, featuring the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Miami Dolphins 28-17, also drew a record 45 million total, unduplicated viewers to the set. The NFL special, kicked off by a rousing welcome home to former Steeler and new NBC "Football Night in America" analyst Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, attracted seven percent more average viewers than last year's broadcast (19.3 million vs. 18 million on ABC), and the household rating rose by eight percent (12.6 vs. 11.7).
NFL Kickoff � Thursday Night season openers:
2006: NBC 19.3 million viewers; 12.6/21 (Miami 17 � Pittsburgh 28)
2005: ABC 18 million; 11.7/21 (Indianapolis 24 � New England 27)
2004: ABC 16.8 million; 11.4/20 (Oakland Raiders 20 � New England Patriots 30)
2003: ABC 19.1 million; 12.9/22 (New York Jets 13 � Washington Redskins 16)
*2002 ESPN 7.8/14 (Dallas Cowboys 10 � Houston Texans 19)
*U.S. HH Rating; total viewers not available
Top Ten Metered Markets
1. Pittsburgh 50.6/67
2. Miami 22.7/32
3. West Palm Beach 21.8/33
4. Jacksonville 20.1/30
5. Orlando 20.0/30
6. Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg 18.5/29
7. Buffalo 18.4/28
8. Cincinnati 18.0/28
9. Nashville 17.9/26
10. Denver 17.8/28
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