SNF Scores For NBC and Peacock

With Sunday night’s down-to-the-wire Bills-Dolphins matchup for the AFC East division title, which averaged 23.0 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports concluded its 18th season of Sunday Night Football, topping all primetime television series in the fall and once again pacing to finish as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 13th consecutive year. NBC’s SNF, in the most competitive time slot in media, extended its record for the most consecutive years atop the primetime charts (since 1950):

• Most Consecutive Years, #1 Ranked Show in Primetime, Since 1950
• 13 years in a row – Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2023-24; on pace)
• 6 years in a row – American Idol (2005-06 through 2010-11)
• 5 years in a row – The Cosby Show (1985-86 through 1989-90)…tied Cheers in ‘89-90
• 5 years in a row – All in the Family (1971-72 through 1975-76)
• 4 years in a row – Gunsmoke (1957-58 through 1960-61)

Sunday Night Football averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 21.4 million viewers for the 2023 season – the show’s best viewership since 2015 and up 8% from last season (19.9 million), according to official national live plus same day data released by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

“With the thrilling Lions-Chiefs opener drawing the largest NFL Kickoff Game audience since 2015, back-to-back early October blockbusters with more than 26 million viewers apiece, our first-ever Peacock exclusive NFL game, and last Sunday’s finale for the AFC East title, the 2023 Sunday Night Football season was a success from the opening kickoff to the final whistle,” said Rick Cordella, President, NBC Sports. “With a best-in-class presentation and our record-setting 13 years at #1 in primetime, we are looking forward to the postseason, which begins with three Wild Card matchups on NBCUniversal platforms and features Peacock’s Saturday night presentation of the NFL’s first-ever exclusive live streamed playoff game. It’s been a historic season for the NFL and NBCUniversal.”

An SNF-record tying six NBC Sports’ NFL games topped 25 million viewers (chart below) – matching 2013 for the most blockbuster audiences in NBC SNF history (since 2006).

Most Watched Games, 2023 Season, NBC Sunday Night Football package
Game, Date Avg. Viewers*

• Detroit Lions-Kansas City Chiefs, 9/7 27.5 million
• Kansas City Chiefs-New York Jets, 10/1 26.7 million
• Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys, 12/10 26.5 million
• San Francisco 49ers-Seattle Seahawks, 11/23 26.4 million
• Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers, 10/8 26.3 million
• Kansas City Chiefs-Green Bay Packers, 12/3 25.4 million

*Viewership across NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital, NFL Digital

For the first time, Buffalo ranked as the top-rated SNF market. New Orleans topped the chart for the prior five years as well as in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Milwaukee was the top-rated SNF market in 2017 and 2012, while Denver ranked #1 for three consecutive seasons from 2014-16.

1. Buffalo 22.1/44

2. Kansas City 20.2/45

3. Cincinnati 15.1/36

4. Pittsburgh 14.3/33

5. Sacramento 14.2/40

6. Albuquerque 13.9/33

7. Richmond 13.8/34

8. Milwaukee 13.7/32

9. Baltimore 13.4/35

10. Las Vegas 13.3/38

11. New Orleans 13.2/28

12. Minneapolis 13.1/33

13. Dayton 13.0/31

T14. Dallas 12.6/34

T14. Norfolk 12.6/33

T14. Philadelphia 12.6/32

17. Denver 12.5/36

18. West Palm Beach 12.2/30

19. Tulsa 11.8/26

20. Nashville 11.6/30