NBC'S "SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" CONCLUDES REGULAR SEASON AS PRIMETIME TELEVISION'S NO. 1 SHOW
SNF Finishes No. 1 for Fifth Consecutive Fall TV Season & On Pace to Finish No. 1 for Fourth Straight Full TV Season
SNF Only Primetime Sports Show to Finish No. 1 for Five Consecutive Years
SNF Wins Adult 18-49 Demo for 7th Consecutive Fall Season
Football Night in America, Most-Watched Studio Show in Sports, Averaging 8.2 Million Viewers
Record 3.3 Million Unique Users Live Streamed SNF Via NBC Sports Live Extra - Up 9% from '13
STAMFORD, Conn. - Dec. 30, 2014 - For the fifth consecutive fall TV season, NBC's Sunday Night Football finished its regular season as the No. 1 show in primetime, based on Nielsen live plus same day data. This also marks the seventh consecutive fall TV season that SNF ranks No. 1 among Adults 18-49. NBC Sports concludes its coverage of the 2014 NFL season televising Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015.
For the past three years, Sunday Night Football ranked as the No. 1 show for the entire primetime television season (September-May, based on Nielsen live plus same day data), and it is on pace to achieve that milestone for a fourth year in a row.
SNF was primetime's No. 1 show this fall averaging 21.3 million viewers and a 12.5 household rating, despite the most-lopsided games in the history of the NBC primetime package (since 2006) with an average margin of victory of 18.3 points.
Highlights from the 2014 Sunday Night Football season:
· NBC averaged 21.3 million viewers for its 19 NFL telecasts, marking the fifth consecutive season with an average of 21+ million viewers - the first such five-year stretch for the NFL primetime package since 1992-96 (ABC's Monday Night Football).
· Since the beginning of the 2011-12 TV season, only six primetime shows have averaged 21+ million viewers, all on NBC - Sunday Night Football four times, the 2012 London Summer Games and the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.
· This year's top-ranked primetime viewership, household ratings and Adults 18-49 averages come in a season in which 12 NBC games were decided by 15-or-more points - up from the prior high of eight such contests (last year and in 2006) in the nine years of SNF on NBC.
· Football Night in America (7:30-8:22 p.m. ET) continues to rank as the most-watched studio show in sports averaging 8.2 million viewers (through Week 16).
WEEK 17 "AFC NORTH CHAMPIONSHIP GAME" BESTS NON-ELIMINATION 2009 SNF FINALE BY 27%: Last week's NBC Sunday Night Football game for the AFC North title, featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers' 27-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals (8:31-11:24 p.m. ET) averaged 20.7 million viewers - topping by 4.4 million viewers (or 27%) the last time a Week 17 SNF game was not an elimination game for both teams (16.3 million viewers for the Jets' playoff-berth clinching victory over a Bengals team which had already won its division).
SNF: NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM FOR SEASON: For the primetime television season, Sunday Night Football ranks as the most-watched show (persons 2+), the highest-rated show, and the No. 1 program among Adults 18-49 and across all key male demos.
SNF AVERAGE (P2+) VIEWERSHIP RANK AMONG PRIMETIME SHOWS:
Fall TV Season Full TV Season
2014 No. 1 Show 1st (through 12/28/14)
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
(Based on Live Plus Same Day data from The Nielsen Company)
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON NBC -- FULL SEASON:
YEAR VIEWERS 2+ HH RATING/SHARE
2014* 21.3 million 12.5/21
2013 21.7 million 12.8/21
2012 21.4 million 12.8/20
2011 21.5 million 12.9/20
2010 21.8 million 13.0/21
2009 19.4 million 11.7/19
2008 16.6 million 10.2/16
2007 16.0 million 10.0/16
2006 17.5 million 11.0/18
*Average victory margin: 18.3 points
NBC NFL GAMES PRODUCE 11 OF 12 MOST-WATCHED PRIMETIME SHOWS THIS FALL: NBC NFL telecasts rank as 11 of the 12 most-watched primetime shows since Sept. 4. Among the 2014 highlights:
· The Dallas Cowboys' 38-27 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in a battle for first place in the NFC East on Dec. 14 averaged 24.3 million viewers, ranking as NBC's most-watched Sunday Night Football game of the season (excluding NBC's Thursday night "NFL Kickoff" game) and television's most-watched Sunday primetime program since the Academy Awards on March 2, 2014 (38.3 million on ABC).
· NBC averaged 25.5 million viewers for two NFL Kickoff Weekend games - Seattle's 36-16 win over Green Bay in the Thursday "NFL Kickoff" game, and Denver's 31-24 victory over Indianapolis on the debut of Sunday Night Football.
· Denver QB Peyton Manning broke Brett Favre's record for career touchdown passes on Oct. 19 in the Broncos' one-sided 42-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, which was watched by an average of 23.8 million viewers.
· The Seattle Seahawks' 19-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving Night averaged 22.9 million viewers, ranking as the NFL's most-watched Thanksgiving primetime game ever.
Most-Watched Primetime Shows (Sept. 4-Dec. 28, 2014)
Show, Date Avg. Viewers
NBC Sunday Night Football (Packers-Seahawks), 9/4 27.1 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Cowboys-Eagles), 12/14 24.3 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Colts-Broncos), 9/7 23.8 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (49ers-Broncos), 10/19 23.8 million
World Series Game 7 (Giants-Royals on FOX), 10/29 23.5 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Saints-Cowboys), 9/28 23.1 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Seahawks-49ers), 11/27 22.9 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Cowboys-Giants), 11/23 22.4 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Bears-49ers), 9/14 22.3 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Patriots-Chargers), 12/7 21.2 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Broncos-Chiefs), 11/30 21.1 million
NBC Sunday Night Football (Patriots-Colts), 11/16 20.8 million
Source: The Nielsen Company (live plus same day data)
SNF SETS STREAMING RECORD: The 2014 Sunday Night Football slate delivered a record 3.3 million unique users - a 9% increase from last season - watching the SNF live stream to desktops and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group's live streaming product.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL TOP 30 METERED MARKETS - FULL 2014 SEASON:
Denver was the top-rated SNF market, edging last year's highest-rated market New Orleans, which was also No. 1 in 2010-11. Milwaukee was the highest-rated SNF market in 2012. Denver previously ranked No. 1 in 2006, the first year of SNF on NBC.
1. Denver 19.8/31
2. New Orleans 19.4/28
3. Las Vegas 19.2/30
4. Seattle 18.4/32
5. Milwaukee 18.2/29
T6. Indianapolis 17.0/28
T6. San Diego 17.0/30
8. Sacramento 16.8/27
9. Dallas 16.4/26
10. Baltimore 16.2/25
11. Pittsburgh 16.0/25
12. Phoenix 15.9/25
13. Richmond 15.8/25
T14. Norfolk 15.3/24
T14. Albuquerque 15.3/23
16. Boston 15.2/26
17. Cincinnati 14.9/24
18. Memphis 14.8/21
19. Dayton 14.4/23
20. Philadelphia 14.2/23
T21. Greensboro 14.0/21
T21. Providence 14.0/23
23. Charlotte 13.8/23
T24. Chicago 13.4/21
T24. Minneapolis 13.4/22
T24. San Antonio 13.4/22
27. Portland 13.3/23
28. Greenville 13.2/21
29. Austin 13.1/24
30. Jacksonville 13.0/21
NBC televises this Saturday's AFC Wild Card Playoff in primetime as the AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) host their division rival Baltimore Ravens (10-6). Coverage begins with Football Night in America at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Next Saturday, January 10, NBC presents the AFC Divisional Playoff featuring the top-seeded New England Patriots (12-4) at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. NBC's Divisional Playoff coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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