TV Ratings: NBC Scores With Huge SNF Audience

NBC Sports turned last weekend’s Sunday Night Football clash between the Packers and Cowboys into a mini-Super Bowl, reaping huge viewership rewards. The network reported that the Sept. 28 prime-time game, which ended in a 40–40 tie, averaged 26.9 million viewers, making it the third-most-watched NFL game this season. 

Only the Week 2 Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl rematch on Fox (33.8 million) and the season opener on NBC between the Cowboys and Eagles (28.3 million, despite a 65-minute weather delay) drew larger audiences.

Front Office Sports reports NBC amplified the big-game atmosphere by broadcasting its Football Night in America pregame show and a separate fantasy football and betting show, hosted by Matthew Berry, live from AT&T Stadium in Texas. 

The network also highlighted subplots, notably star defensive end Micah Parsons’ preseason trade from Dallas to Green Bay. The game delivered with seven straight lead-changing touchdowns, peaking at 29.9 million viewers in the second quarter. It was also the most-watched overtime game in NBC’s 19 Sunday Night Football overtime contests.

Through four weeks, NBC’s Sunday Night Football is averaging 25.5 million viewers, a 6% increase from last year and the best four-week start in its 20-season history. League-wide, the NFL is enjoying its strongest viewership start ever, averaging 20.5 million viewers per game through Week 3, with updated figures expected soon after Monday Night Football data from ESPN and ABC. The Packers-Cowboys game may slip in season-long rankings as blockbuster matchups, like the Chiefs-Cowboys Thanksgiving game, loom later.