or


[09/11/12 - 08:54 AM]
Steelers-Broncos Game Is NBC's Highest-Rated "Sunday Night Football" Game Ever
NBC further spins the numbers for Sunday, September 9.
[via press release from NBC]

STEELERS-BRONCOS GAME IS NBC'S HIGHEST-RATED "SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" GAME EVER

16.5 National Rating Ties 2010 NFL Kickoff as NBC's Highest-Rated Regular-Season Game Ever

27.57 Million Watch Steelers-Broncos SNF Game, NBC's 2nd Most-Watched Regular-Season Primetime Game Ever

Steelers-Broncos Earns Best Ever Adult 18-49 Rating for a Regular-Season Primetime Game on NBC; and Best on ANY Network in 15 Years

44.2 Local Denver Rating is Best for Market for Regular-Season NFL Game in 9 Years; Pittsburgh Leads All Metered Markets with 51.5/70, Indianapolis 3rd with 28.9/42

NEW YORK - September 11, 2012 - Sunday's Steelers-Broncos game on NBC was the highest-rated Sunday Night Football game ever and tied the 2010 NFL Kickoff opener as the highest-rated regular-season NFL game ever on NBC. Additionally, the game earned NBC's highest-ever regular-season primetime rating in the advertiser-coveted Adult 18-49 demographic, according to official national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

Sunday night's game on NBC, in which the Broncos defeated the Steelers, 31-19, in Peyton Manning's first game as quarterback of the Broncos, drew a 16.5 national household rating and a 26 share, the highest-rated Sunday Night Football game ever, topping the 15.7/25 for last year's Cowboys-Giants Week 17 finale by five percent. Additionally, the 16.5/26 rating ties the 2010 NFL Kickoff opener (Vikings-Saints) as the highest-rated NFL primetime regular-season game ever on NBC.

The Steelers-Broncos game was seen by 27.57 million viewers, less than one percent below the most-watched NFL regular-season primetime game ever on NBC (27.62 million for Cowboys-Giants Week 17 game last year that determined the NFC East title).

Other Ratings Notes:

· Household rating (16.5/26) and viewership (27.57) are up 8% and 7%, respectively, over last year's first SNF game (Cowboys-Jets, 15.3/25 and 25.8 million).

· Adult 18-49 rating of 11.0 is highest for any regular-season primetime NFL game ever on NBC, and is best in the advertiser-coveted demographic for an NFL regular-season primetime game on ANY network in 15 years (Broncos-49ers, 11.6, 12/15/97, on ABC).

· Second most-watched NFL regular-season primetime game on ANY network in 16 years (Packers-Cowboys, 31.5 million, 11/18/96, on ABC).

· Ties 2010 NFL Kickoff opener for highest-rated NFL regular-season primetime game on ANY network in 14 years (Vikings-Packers, 16.8/27, 10/5/98, on ABC).

· 44.2/67 rating in Denver is best for that market for any regular-season NFL game since 9/22/03 (44.5/61 for Oakland-Denver on ABC).

HIGHEST RATED NFL REGULAR-SEASON PRIMETIME GAMES ON NBC
T1. 16.5/26 Steelers-Broncos, 9/9/12 (Sunday Night's Game)
T1. 16.5/28 Vikings-Saints, 9/9/10 (2010 Thursday Night Opener)*
3. 16.0/26 Saints-Packers, 9/8/11 (2011 Thursday Night Opener)*
4. 15.7/25 Cowboys-Giants, 1/1/12 (2011 SNF Week 17)
5. 15.4/25 Vikings-Packers, 10/24/10, (Favre Return to Lambeau II)
6. 15.3/25 Cowboys-Jets, 9/11/11 (2011 SNF Week 1)
7. 15.2/24 Eagles-Cowboys, 12/12/10 (2010 SNF Week 14)
8. 15.1/25 Giants-Cowboys, 9/20/09 (Dallas Cowboys Stadium Debut)
9. 15.0/25 Cowboys-Redskins, 9/12/10 (2010 SNF: Week 1)
10. 14.9/23 Giants-Cowboys, 12/11/11 (2011 SNF Week 14)

*Thursday Night Games

MOST WATCHED NFL REGULAR-SEASON PRIMETIME GAMES ON NBC
1. 27.62 million Cowboys-Giants, 1/1/12 (2011 SNF Week 17)
2. 27.57 million Steelers-Broncos, 9/9/12 (Sunday Night's Game)
3. 27.5 million Vikings-Saints, 9/9/10 (2010 Thursday Night Opener)*
4. 27.1 million Saints-Packers, 9/8/11 (2011 Thursday Night Opener)*
5. 25.8 million Cowboys-Jets, 9/11/11 (2011 SNF Week 1)
6. 25.73 million Eagles-Cowboys, 12/12/10 (2010 SNF Week 14)
7. 25.68 million Vikings-Packers, 10/24/10, (Favre Return to Lambeau II)
8. 25.3 million Cowboys-Redskins, 9/12/10 (2010 SNF: Week 1)
9. 24.8 million Giants-Cowboys, 9/20/09 (Dallas Cowboys Stadium Debut)
10. 24.5 million Giants-Cowboys, 12/11/11 (2011 SNF Week 14)

* Thursday Night Games

SNF DOMINATED PRIMETIME: Wednesday's Cowboys-Giants game (23.9 million) and Sunday Night's Broncos-Steelers game (27.6 million) rank as the No. 1 and No. 2 primetime programs of the week among viewers, households and other key ratings categories.

· NBC won Sunday night by all key ratings measures. Among viewers NBC's margin of victory was 79 percent, or 9.9 million persons in total viewers over the second place network (22.4 million vs. 12.5 million for Fox, which was boosted by an NFL overrun). In adults 18-49, NBC's margin of victory over the No. 2 network was 71 percent (8.9 vs. 5.2 for Fox).

· This was the highest rated Sunday primetime performance (excluding the Olympics) for any network in both viewers and Adults 18-49 since ABC's coverage of the Academy Awards on February 26.

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR STEELERS-BRONCOS:
1. Pittsburgh 51.5/70
2. Denver 44.2/67
3. Indianapolis 28.9/42
4. Las Vegas 24.1/38
5. Albuquerque 23.1/35
6. New Orleans 23.0/31
T7. Nashville 22.5/32
T7. San Diego 22.5/37
9. Richmond 22.4/32
10. Baltimore 22.2/33





  [september 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[05/13/26 - 07:56 AM]
ESPN Networks Delivered Second Most-Watched WNBA Regular-Season Game Ever with Dallas Wings vs Indiana Fever on May 9
ESPN today announced that the Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever matchup on May 9 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC averaged 2.5 million viewers, making it the second most-watched WNBA regular-season game across ESPN networks ever.
[05/12/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of May 4 - The Critters of "Swapped" Soar to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
The pursuit of justice is action-packed in "Man on Fire," which set the English TV list ablaze at No. 1 with 12.6 million views.
[05/08/26 - 09:18 AM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most-Watched MLB Regular Season Start Since 2015
The Yankees/Mariners season opener on March 31 delivered 562,000 viewers and peaked at 735,000, making it the most watched opener on TBS since 2012.

[05/06/26 - 10:01 AM]
Strong Month of Sports Propels ESPN Studio Shows to Record Viewership for April
The entire lineup of ESPN studio shows was up 21% overall in viewership over April of 2025 and up 10% year-over-year (YOY) in the coveted Persons ages 18-49 demographic.

[05/05/26 - 03:52 PM]
ESPN Networks Aired Its Most Viewed First Round of the Current Rights Deal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
ESPN also delivered three of the top five matchups in the First Round including the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 (2.1 million viewers).
[05/05/26 - 03:36 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
Saturday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 11.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.
[05/05/26 - 02:33 PM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Ever
Game 7 of the Montreal/Tampa Bay series on Sunday, May 3 averaged 2.3 million viewers, the most-watched First Round game on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.
[05/05/26 - 02:24 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
2,130,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX on Saturday, May 2, for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cardinals' 3-2 Victory over the Dodgers in most of the country.
[05/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 27 - The Hunt Continues as "Apex" Takes No. 1 for a Second Week
Plus: Revenge might be a dish best served cold, but "Man on Fire" served it up hot, reaching No. 1 on the English TV list with 11 million views.
[05/03/26 - 02:40 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers the Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on Record, Averaging 19.6 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock in Historic "Run for the Roses"
Viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET, as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo around the final turn to win by a neck over Renegade, and made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

[05/01/26 - 01:33 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps Back from Spring Break with Fifth Straight Week of Growth Among Both Total Viewers and Households
Dominating the New York market, "Live with Kelly and Mark" towers over its closest competition this season by double and triple digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54.
[05/01/26 - 08:05 AM]
NBC Sports' NBA Playoff Viewership on NBC & Peacock Up 58% vs. Comparable Coverage Last Year Through First 13 Games
This is the first time in 24 years that NBC Sports is presenting the NBA Playoffs.
[04/30/26 - 02:17 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers Sunday Morning and in Late-Night
ABC News' "Nightline" ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers (931,000) for the week of April 20.
[04/29/26 - 04:01 PM]
"American Idol" Scores 5.3 Million Total Viewers with Biggest Audience in Over 2 Months During Taylor Swift Night
Monday's episode was the No. 1 entertainment program on the night among Total Viewers (5.34 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.42 rating).
[04/29/26 - 02:41 PM]
Record Breaker! ESPN Airs Most-Viewed First Round Game 5 Ever on Cable, Extending Milestone Run of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday averaged 2 million viewers, up 190% vs. ESPN's First Round Game 5 average last year.