Ratings Roundup: Packers-Chiefs Without Aaron Rodgers on Fox Tops NFL Week 9; NBA Viewership Increases From 2020-21 Regular Season Average By SVG Staff Friday, November 12, 2021 - 6:45 am
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Ratings roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, Packers-Chiefs delivers best NFL Sunday afternoon telecast this season, NBA viewership increases double-digits from 2020-21 regular season average, FOX's Big Noon Saturday is most-watched window in college football, and more.
Packers-Chiefs Delivers Best NFL Sunday Afternoon Telecast This Season The Kansas City Chiefs victory of the Green Bay Packers in America's Game of the Week garnered 24.4 million viewers, which is the best NFL Sunday afternoon telecast on any network this season. The game was also the most-watched telecast of the week on any network and was up 7% over last year's comparable window (22.8 million).
The Fox NFL regional window saw 15.2 million viewers, which was up 48% over last year's comparable delivery (10.3 million). In addition, the doubleheader average was 19.5 million viewers, which is up 21% compared to last year for Fox's Week 9 singleheader (16.1 million) and up 18% over las year's comparable doubleheader average (16.5 million)
ESPN's Monday Night Football's Week 9 Draws 12.2 Million; Up 18% YoY and Delivers MNF's Seventh Consecutive Week of Growth In NFL Week 9, ESPN's Monday Night Football generated year-over-year audience growth for the seventh straight week and the eighth game in nine weeks this season, as more than 12.2 million viewers (ESPN and ESPN Deportes) watched the Chicago Bears at the Pittsburgh Steelers (Nov. 8, 8 p.m. ET). The ESPN-only audience of 12,103,000 was up 18% from Week 9 in 2020, the fifth week this season where Monday Night Football grew its audience more than 14%. The viewership also represents the second best MNF Week 9 audience since 2014.
Viewership reported by Nielsen for ESPN includes streaming audience across ESPN, NFL and Yahoo Sports properties.
Monday Night Football continues its most-watched season since 2014, averaging 13.5 million viewers per game through nine weeks. In addition to being up 17% over 2020 and 13% over 2019, the franchise is also up double digits compared to every season since 2015. Further details on the strong 2021 viewership for Monday Night Football and ESPN's NFL studio shows was released earlier this week.
Additional Highlights for Bears-Steelers:
Monday Night Football was the most-watched telecast of the night among households, viewers and all key demos: Men 18-34, 18-49, 25-54 and 55 , as well as persons 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 on ESPN.
Monday Night Football also helped ESPN become the most-watched network (broadcast and cable) in primetime among households, viewers and the same key male and people demos, including P55
Thursday Night Football Hits Low for Jets-Colts The latest edition of Thursday Night Football (Jets-Colts) averaged a 6.7 rating and 11.65 million viewers on FOX and NFL Network, down 11% in ratings and 12% in viewership from last year, which faced presidential election competition (Packers-49ers: 7.5, 13.17M), and down 21% and 17% from 2019 (49ers-Cardinals: 8.5, 14.00M).
The Colts' easy win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched TNF simulcast since Giants-Eagles opposite a presidential debate last year (5.9, 10.07M). Outside of that game, it was the lowest rated and least-watched since December 2018 (Jaguars-Titans: 6.7, 10.76M). (SportsMediaWatch)
NBA Viewership Increases Double-Digits From 2020-21 Regular Season Average ESPN's NBA viewership across its event and studio coverage is up double-digits so far this season, according to Nielsen. Through 12 games, the NBA on ESPN is averaging 1,439,000 viewers, up 20 percent from the 2020-21 regular season average of 1,197,000 viewers.
Additionally, ESPN NBA games are up significantly in all coveted demographics from the 2020-21 regular season average, including:
Adults 18-49: up 28%
Adults 18-34: up 26%
Adults 35-49: up 30%
Hispanic audience: up 50%
Women: up 26%
Men: up 18%
ESPN has won the night across cable in all six coveted demographics three times already. The NBA on ESPN routinely wins the night on cable amongst Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49, Adults 25-54, Men 18-34, Men 18-49 and Men 25-54.
ESPN is also experiencing double-digit audience increases for its new-look NBA Countdown show as well as its new daily studio show, NBA Today. NBA Countdown has averaged 536,000 viewers for its first six shows, up 34 percent from the 2020-21 regular season average (399,000 viewers). Through November 5, the 11 NBA Today shows that have aired on ESPN have averaged 297,000 viewers, up 29 percent from the same timeslot during the 2020-21 regular season.
FOX's Big Noon Saturday Is Most-Watched Window in College Football Fox's Big Noon Saturday window is the most-watched college football time slot across any network, averaging 5,204,000 viewers (through Week 10).
The Ohio State-Nebraska match was the day's most-watched telecast on any network with 5,328,000 viewers, nearly doubling 2019's comparable Week 10 game ( 97%, 2,710,000 viewers of Nebraska-Purdue).
Big Noon Kickoff, which started at 11 a.m. ET, posted 1,273,000 viewers, up 57% over 2019's Week 10 performance (812,000).
LSU-Alabama Is ESPN's Most-Viewed Game Since 2019 as ESPN Networks Own Primetime in College Football's Week 10 ESPN networks had one of their strongest overall weekends of the 2021 college football season, as ESPN and ESPN2 both aired their most-watched games in years during Week 10. Fueling the year-over-year growth were two compelling Southeastern Conference showdowns - LSU and Alab
