or


[09/11/06 - 12:00 AM]
NBC Sunday Night Football' Opener Outrates Every Monday Night Football Opener Since 2000
[via press release from NBC]

'NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL' OPENER OUTRATES EVERY MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL OPENER SINCE 2000

14.3 Rating Up 10% from 2005

NEW YORK � Sept. 11, 2006 � Last night's "NBC Sunday Night Football" debut scored a 14.3 household rating/23 share, outrating every "Monday Night Football" opener since the highly anticipated debut of Dennis Miller in 2000, according to fast national ratings provided by Nielsen Media Research. The showdown between older brother Peyton Manning and the younger Eli (8:15-11:15 p.m. ET), won by the Indianapolis Colts 26-21 at Giants Stadium, was also up ten percent from last year's "MNF" opener (13.0).

The only "MNF" game in the past five years to rate higher featured the undefeated Indianapolis Colts versus the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers last season (14.8 on 11/28/2005).

After two games, "NBC Sunday Night Football" is averaging a 13.5/22, 10 percent higher than "MNF" after two games in 2005 (12.3/21 � averages include Thursday night season openers). This is the best two game average for the NFL's network primetime package since 2000 (13.8/24).

Viewership numbers will be available later this afternoon.

"NBC Sunday Night Football" Week One Top Metered Markets
1. Indianapolis 34.2/46
2. Memphis 23.5/31
3. Nashville 22.4/32
4. Pittsburgh 21.7/30
5. Denver 20.2/30
6. Richmond 18.6/27
7. Orlando 18.5/26
8. West Palm Beach 18.4/28
9. Charlotte 18.2/27
10. Tampa 18.1/27
11. Cincinnati 17.9/27
12. New York 17.8/26

[EDITOR'S NOTE: What follows is the afternoon update with the final national Nielsen ratings.]

UPDATED: 'NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL' OPENER OUTRATES EVERY MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL OPENER SINCE 2000

14.3 Rating Up 10% from 2005

UPDATED WITH VIEWERSHIP INFORMATION

NEW YORK � Sept. 11, 2006 � Last night's "NBC Sunday Night Football" debut scored a 14.3 household rating/23 share, outrating every "Monday Night Football" opener since the highly anticipated debut of Dennis Miller in 2000, according to fast national ratings provided by Nielsen Media Research. The showdown between older brother Peyton Manning and the younger Eli (8:15-11:15 p.m. ET), won by the Indianapolis Colts 26-21 at Giants Stadium, was also up ten percent from last year's "MNF" opener (13.0).

The only "MNF" game in the past five years to rate higher featured the undefeated Indianapolis Colts versus the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers last season (14.8 on 11/28/2005).

Last night's game averaged 22.7 million viewers � up 16% from last season's "MNF" opener, and the best viewership number for any primetime regular-season game since the 2000 opener (22.9 million).

50 million total, unduplicated viewers watched last night's "NBC Sunday Night Football," the highest total for a primetime opening game since the 1996 "MNF" opener.

After two games, "NBC Sunday Night Football" is averaging a 13.5/22, 10 percent higher than "MNF" after two games in 2005 (12.3/21 � averages include Thursday night season openers). This is the best two game average for the NFL's network primetime package since 2000 (13.8/24).

Next week and in the weeks thereafter, final national ratings for "NBC Sunday Night Football" will be available Tuesdays.

"NBC Sunday Night Football" Week One Top Metered Markets
1. Indianapolis 34.2/46
2. Memphis 23.5/31
3. Nashville 22.4/32
4. Pittsburgh 21.7/30
5. Denver 20.2/30
6. Richmond 18.6/27
7. Orlando 18.5/26
8. West Palm Beach 18.4/28
9. Charlotte 18.2/27
10. Tampa 18.1/27
11. Cincinnati 17.9/27
12. New York 17.8/26





  [september 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (ABC)
· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)




[09/08/26 - 12:34 PM]
ESPN and Apple Music Collaborate on "Monday Night Football" Music Curation for the 2026-27 Season, Leading Up to ESPN's First-Ever Super Bowl and the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show
The first song and artist Apple Music has selected is the recently-released single, "Dead Fresh" by Lil Baby, which will run in ESPN's Week 1 promotional efforts.
[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 31 - "The Whisper Man" Tracks Down No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Death of the Pastor's Wife" held the top spot of the English TV list with 13.9 million views.
[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Drama and Rumors Bloom as "The Real Housewives of Potomac" Season 11 Launches on Sunday, Oct 11. at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Returning "housewives" include Karen Huger, Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Stacey Rusch and Tia Glover.
[09/08/26 - 11:13 AM]
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to Host Next Two Episodes of "Saturday Night Live UK," with Musical Guests Royal Blood and Rachel Chinouriri
They'll join the previously announced Jeff Goldblum and CMAT.
[09/08/26 - 10:30 AM]
Prime Video Announces September 24 Premiere Date for "Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story"
The groundbreaking documentary traces the story of a father, his two sons, and their family's pursuit of the American Dream through football excellence.
[09/08/26 - 10:09 AM]
FOX MLB Posts Best Regular Season Thursday Night Baseball Telecast Since 2022
2,668,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX Thursday for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Brewers in most of the country.
[09/08/26 - 10:03 AM]
"Moonshiners" Celebrates 250 Years of American Rebellion, Risk and Reward in All-New Season Premiering Tuesday, September 29 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
It's a 250-year celebration of life, liberty and the pursuit of tax-free liquor when America's favorite Appalachian distillers return in an all-new season.
[09/08/26 - 10:02 AM]
ESPN Studio Lineup Continues 2026 Momentum with Record August Audiences
As a year-long pattern of strong viewership continued, multiple programs delivered their best August viewership on record, while overall studio show audiences increased 13% year over year.
[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Scores Four Special Episodes Post-"Sunday Night Football" This Fall on NBC
The first Sunday night show is set for September 27 when Fallon will welcome an all-star lineup of guests, including Sylvester Stallone and Luke Bryan.
[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Siren: The Voices of Shelley" Beattie Debuts September 22
While searching the internet one day, Hollywood veteran Marlee Matlin came upon the story of athlete Shelley Beattie - a fellow Deaf woman whose life felt eerily like her own.
[09/08/26 - 09:40 AM]
Following Their Emmy Win for Outstanding Animated Program, "South Park" Is Making a Big Change
Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced: "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount -- a Skydance Capitulation."
[09/08/26 - 09:29 AM]
Paramount+ and T-Mobile Arena Launch Paramount+ Plaza in New Multi-Year Partnership
The agreement establishes a prominent new platform for the streaming service to connect its expansive portfolio of original series, films, live sports and iconic franchises with millions of fans visiting Las Vegas.
[09/08/26 - 09:04 AM]
Terror on Tubi Continues with First Look Photos of "R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead 2"
Cassandra Peterson, famously known as Elvira, joins Bean Reid and Adeline Lo in spooky sequel premiering October 9.
[09/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
UPtv's "Most Uplifting Christmas Ever" Returns November 5 with Eight Premiere Movies and a Thanksgiving Marathon of "The Rookie"
Vivica A. Fox, Kelley Jakle, Kym Johnson Herjavec, Carson Kressley, Franco Lo Presti, Gilles Marini, Rob Mayes, and Jonathan Stoddard are among the featured talent.
[09/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
Comedy Central Announces the Return of "Drunk History" with New Episodes on Comedy Central YouTube Channel
The brand-new short-form episodes will launch on Tuesday, September 15, with a premiere episode about Madonna's legendary first performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards, starring Meghan Trainor as Madonna.