NBC SPORTS SCORES BEST NFL PRIMETIME REGULAR SEASON OVERNIGHT IN 13 YEARS; BEST OVERNIGHT FOR ANY NFL KICKOFF EVER & BEST NBC REGULAR SEASON PRIMETIME GAME EVER

17.7 Best Overnight for Any NFL Regular Season Primetime Game Since 1997

NBC Dominates Competition in Primetime Beating Second Place CBS by 253%

NEW YORK - Sept. 10, 2010 - Last night's Vikings-Saints game on NBC Sports was the highest-rated NFL regular season primetime game in 13 years, the highest-rated NBC regular season primetime game ever, and the highest-rated NFL Kickoff ever, according to overnight ratings data released today by The Nielsen Company.

The game, a rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game won by the Saints 14-9, scored a 17.7 overnight rating/28 share (8:45-11:30 p.m. ET), the highest regular season primetime NFL rating on any network since Dec. 15, 1997 (Broncos-49ers, 19.3/30) and the best ever for an NBC regular season primetime game.

The overnight rating for last night's game far surpasses the previous best NFL Opening Kickoff game by more than three ratings points and 22 percent (Jets-Redskins, 14.5/23 on ABC in 2003) and nearly four full ratings points and 28 percent higher than last year's NFL Kickoff which drew a 13.8/23 for the Titans-Steelers OT game.

· DOMINATED PRIMETIME: NBC dominated primetime (8-11 p.m.) with a 15.9/26 average in the metered markets, establishing a 253 percent margin of victory over CBS's second-place 4.5/7 and beating the combined delivery of CBS, ABC (3.3/5), CW (2.6/4) and Fox (2.4/4).

· The rating peaked at an 18.8/29 from 9:30-10:00 p.m. ET.

NFL KICKOFF - THURSDAY NIGHT SEASON OPENERS OVERNIGHT RATINGS:

2010: NBC 17.7/28 (New Orleans 14 - Minnesota 9)

2003: ABC 14.5/23 (Washington 16 - NY Jets 13)

2009: NBC 13.8/23 (Pittsburgh 13 - Tennessee 10)

2006: NBC 13.5/22 (Pittsburgh 28 - Miami 17)

2005: ABC 13.1/22 (New England 30 - Oakland 20)

2007: NBC 13.0/21 (Indianapolis 41 - New Orleans 10)

2004: ABC 12.6/20 (New England 27 - Indianapolis 24)

*2008: NBC 10.1/17 (NY Giants 16 - Washington 7)

**2002: ESPN 7.6/13 (Houston 19 - Dallas 10)

*Early start due to the Republican National Convention

**U.S. HH Rating: overnight rating not available

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR LAST NIGHT'S GAME

1. New Orleans, 60.0/78

2. Minneapolis, 43.8/64

3. Milwaukee, 33.3/52

4. Las Vegas, 23.5/36

5. Nashville, 23.3/33

6. Norfolk, 22.7/34

7. Washington, D.C., 22.6/36

8. Indianapolis, 22.5/35

9. Baltimore, 22.1/34

10. Charlotte, 22.0/36

About NBC Sports

NBC Sports is synonymous with superior production that elevates the event, broad promotion, and mutually-beneficial partnerships. Known as America's Olympic Network, NBC has broadcast 12 Olympic Games, more than any other network. Its ability to amass large audiences with broad promotion, particularly for the Olympics, has resulted in NBC Sports broadcasting nine of the top 10 most-watched events in U.S. television history, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games which stands at No. 1 all time with 215 million viewers. In 2009, NBC Sports won the prestigious Peabody Award for its production of the Beijing Games and was named 'Best in Sports Television' at the Sports Business Awards.

NBC Sports partners with numerous leagues and governing bodies to broadcast some of the most prestigious properties in sports, including: 'NBC Sunday Night Football,' which is the premier primetime NFL game of the week; 'Football Night in America,' which is the most-watched NFL studio program; Notre Dame football; the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes; the U.S. Open Championship, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the Ryder Cup; the NHL Winter Classic, NHL 'Game of the Week,' and NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final; and Wimbledon and the French Open.

MOST-WATCHED NFL REGULAR SEASON PRIMETIME GAME IN 14 YEARS

Most-Watched "NFL Kickoff" Ever: 27.5 Million Watch Vikings-Saints

Most-Watched NFL Opening Weekend Game in 14 Years

Dominated Primetime Competition By 17.5 Million Over Second Place Network

NEW YORK - Sept. 10, 2010 - Last night's 'NFL Kickoff' was the most-watched NFL regular season primetime game on any one network in 14 years. The Vikings-Saints NFL season opener on NBC Sports was also the most-watched 'NFL Kickoff' ever and the most-watched regular season primetime game ever on NBC, according to official national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

"This record viewership speaks to the power of the NFL and our country's extraordinary appetite for football," said Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. "This time of year is very special for so many football fans. We were fortunate to be able to cover the story of Brett Favre and the Vikings return to New Orleans. And we fully embraced the opportunity to provide a showcase for the city of New Orleans and the proud people of the Gulf region to celebrate such a unique and meaningful moment.

"On the business side, this shows what can happen when we apply a strategic, multi-platform marketing approach to put a broad promotional blitz behind a project. We take tremendous pride in our ability to build a big, broad audience for our partners."

The rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game won by the Saints 14-9 in the Louisiana Superdome, was seen by 27.5 million viewers (8:42-11:25 p.m. ET) and reached several viewership milestones:

The most-watched regular season primetime NFL rating on any one network in 14 years (since 31.5 million for Green Bay-Dallas on Nov. 18, 1996 on ABC).

The most-watched NFL Opening Weekend game in 14 years (since 27.7 million for Dallas-Chicago on Sept. 2, 1996 on ABC).

The most watched regular season primetime game on NBC ever, surpassing such games as the original "Manning Bowl" in 2006 (22.6 million) and last year's opening of the new Cowboys Stadium (24.8 million). Full list below.

The viewership for last night's game far surpasses the previous best Thursday night "NFL Kickoff" game by 5.6 million viewers and 27 percent (Titans-Steelers OT, 20.9 million viewers last year). Full list below.

'BIG EASY' BIGGER THAN SUPER BOWL: Surprisingly, the local market rating in New Orleans surpassed the rating the city scored for the Saints' Super Bowl victory in February, which nationally was the most watched Super Bowl in history. Last night's NFL Kickoff earned a 60 rating, a seven percent increase over the 56.3 rating the Crescent City scored for the Super Bowl.

DOMINATED PRIMETIME: NBC dominated primetime (8-11 p.m.) with 24.3 million viewers overall, 17.5 million more than and 257 percent higher than CBS's second-place 6.8 million. NBC topped the combined audiences of CBS, ABC (4.9 million), Fox (3.5 million) and CW (3.5 million).

NFL KICKOFF - THURSDAY NIGHT SEASON OPENERS VIEWERSHIP:

1. 2010: NBC 27.5 million (New Orleans 14 - Minnesota 9)

2. 2009: NBC 20.9 million (Pittsburgh 13 - Tennessee 10)

3. 2006: NBC 19.2 million (Pittsburgh 28 - Miami 17)

4. 2003: ABC 19.1 million (Washington 16 - NY Jets 13)

5. 2005: ABC 18.0 million (New England 30 - Oakland 20)

6. 2007: NBC 17.8 million (Indianapolis 41 - New Orleans 10)

7. 2004: ABC 16.9 million (New England 27 - Indianapolis 24)

8. *2008: NBC 13.5 million (NY Giants 16 - Washington 7)

9. 2002: ESPN 10.8 million (San Francisco 16 - NY Giants 13)

* Early start due to Republican National Convention

MOST WATCHED NBC PRIMETIME GAMES

1. 27.5 million, Vikings-Saints, 9/9/10 (last night's game)

2. 24.8 million, Giants-Cowboys, 9/20/09 (Dallas Cowboys Stadium Opener)

3. 23.1 million, Giants-Cowboys, 12/14/08

4. 22.6 million, Colts-Giants, 9/10/06 ("Manning Bowl")

5. 22.4 million, Patriots-Colts, 11/15/09

6. 22.2 million, Cowboys-Packers, 9/21/08

T7. 21.9 million, Cowboys-Eagles, 11/8/09

T7. 21.9 million, Colts-Patriots, 11/5/06

9. 21.8 million, Eagles-Patriots, 11/25/07

10. 21.1 million, Bears-Packers, 9/13/09

BEST RATING IN 12 YEARS: Last night's game had a household rating of 16.5/28, the highest-rated regular season NFL primetime game on any network since 16.8/27 rating for Minnesota-Green Bay on Oct. 5, 1998, and the highest-rated regular season primetime game ever on NBC. The rating is up 29 percent from last year's NFL Kickoff (Titans-Steelers, 12.8/22), and up 28 percent over the prior NFL Kickoff game record set in 2003 by the NY Jets at Washington (12.9/22 on ABC).

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR LAST NIGHT'S GAME

1. New Orleans, 60.0/78

2. Minneapolis, 43.8/64

3. Milwaukee, 33.3/52

4. Las Vegas, 23.5/36

5. Nashville, 23.3/33

6. Norfolk, 22.7/34

7. Washington, D.C., 22.6/36

8. Indianapolis, 22.5/35

9. Baltimore, 22.1/34

10. Charlotte, 22.0/36

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About NBC Sports

NBC Sports is synonymous with superior production that elevates the event, broad promotion, and mutually-beneficial partnerships. Known as America's Olympic Network, NBC has broadcast 12 Olympic Games, more than any other network. Its ability to amass large audiences with broad promotion, particularly for the Olympics, has resulted in NBC Sports broadcasting nine of the top 10 most-watched events in U.S. television history, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games which stands at No. 1 all time with 215 million viewers. In 2009, NBC Sports won the prestigious Peabody Award for its production of the Beijing Games and was named 'Best in Sports Television' at the Sports Business Awards.

NBC Sports partners with numerous leagues and governing bodies to broadcast some of the most prestigious properties in sports, including: 'NBC Sunday Night Football,' which is the premier primetime NFL game of the week; 'Football Night in America,' which is the most-watched NFL studio program; Notre Dame football; the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes; the U.S. Open Championship, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the Ryder Cup; the NHL Winter Classic, NHL 'Game of the Week,' and NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final; and Wimbledon and the French Open.