Ratings Roundup: NBC SNF Packers-Seahawks Is Most Watched Primetime NFL Week 2 Game Since 1991; TNF Hits New High With Broncos-Chiefs

…The Green Bay Packers’ 27-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on NBC’s Sunday Night Football drew an average of 26.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched primetime NFL Week 2 game in 24 years (Redskins-Cowboys, 27.5 million on ABC in 1991). The game topped by 18% viewership for last year’s Week 2 SNF game (Bears-49ers, 22.3 million) and posted a 15.1/26 national household rating, up 16% from last year’s game (13.0/22).

Through the opening two weeks (three telecasts), NBC is averaging 26.8 million viewers – the best viewership for the NFL’s broadcast primetime package at this point in the season in 22 years (28.3 million in 1993), and up 10% from last year at this time (24.3 million viewers).  Sunday Night Football is also averaging a 15.5/27 national household rating and a 10.0 rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic, up 9% and 8% respectively from this point last season. Meanwhile, Football Night in America (7:30-8:15 p.m. ET) is averaging 11.4 million viewers – the best start in the show’s 10-season history and up 21% from last year at this point (9.4 million).

Seahawks-Packers – which aired from 8:31-11:45 pm ET –Sunday Night Football led NBC to a decisive Sunday win in all key measures, taking the night among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox by a 69% margin in Adults 18-49 (8.1 vs. 4.8 for #2 Fox).

NBC Sports Live Extra’s presentation of Seahawks-Packers on Sunday ranks as NBC Sports Digital’s most-consumed authenticated event of all-time (excluding Olympics) in minutes with 20.8 million, topping by more than 1 million minutes the prior record set last week (Giants-Cowboys). Through three games, the 2015 NFL season has delivered 74 million live minutes and 1.1 million unique users on NBC Sports Live Extra, up 40% and 11%, respectively, from 2014…

…CBS and NFL Network’s season debut broadcast of THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL on Thursday, Sept. 17 featuring Denver-Kansas City was the most-watched and highest-rated TNF broadcast ever (Nielsen Live + Same Day fast national ratings). The game was seen by an average of 21.117 million viewers, +2% from last year’s 20.777 million, and earned an average national household rating/share of 12.9/24, +2% from last year’s 12.7/22 for the comparable premiere broadcast on CBS and NFL Network (Pittsburgh-Baltimore; 9/11/14). Pittsburgh at Baltimore’s TNF season opener on CBS and NFL Network last year was the previous most-watched and highest-rated TNF game. Viewer average of the game peaked at 22.912 million viewers from 9:30-10:00 PM, ET and the game HH rating/share peaked at 14.2/30 from 11:30-11:53 PM, ET.

Primetime on CBS and NFL Network more than doubled the combined viewership of NBC, ABC and FOX (+101%).  CBS/NFL Network’s viewership of 19.052 million in primetime was +1292% better than FOX (1.369m), +563% better than ABC (2.875m) and +263% better than NBC (5.246m). Primetime on CBS and NFL Network beat the combined delivery of NBC, ABC and FOX by +84%. CBS/NFL Network’s HH rating/share of 11.6/21 in primetime beat each of the broadcast networks: +1189% better than FOX (0.9/2), +452% better than ABC (2.1/4) and +252% better than NBC (3.3/6).

The record viewership and rating for the 2015 season opener of THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL comes on the heels of the most-watched NFL Kickoff Weekend ever with an average of 19.9 million viewers for NFL games (Sept. 10-14), topping the average 19.6 million viewers for 2013’s Kickoff Weekend…

…After setting the pace in the first two weeks of the season, ESPN/ABC continued its early season success on Saturday, Sept. 19,  when it televised the two highest-rated college football games of the day across all networks, led by No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 2 Alabama (9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN), which earned a 4.6 overnight rating. The overnight is up 254% to the 2014 comparable television window (USC at Boston College) and the third-highest overnight of the 2015 season across all networks:

The Rebels-Crimson Tide thriller was WatchESPN’s most-streamed college football game of the week and the product’s second most streamed regular season college football game ever, achieving an average minute audience of 128,000 users, 615,000 unique viewers and 35,700,000 live minutes viewed. Additionally, the stream was up 485% in average minute audience, 328%  in unique viewers and 666% in live minutes viewed compared to last season’s similar window (USC at Boston College).

Other highlights included ABC’s 3:30 p.m. regionalized window (Northern Illinois at No. 1 Ohio State or Nebraska at Miami)  receiving a 3.6 overnight rating, the second-highest overnight of Week 3 across all networks; ABC Saturday Night Football featuring Stanford at No. 6 USC receiving a 2.7 overnight, up 23% from the 2014 Week 3 ABC Saturday Night Football (Tennessee at Oklahoma); and Friday Night’s No. 9 Florida State at Boston College game receiving a 2.3 overnight rating, ESPN highest-rated Friday night game in three years (Boise State at Michigan State on August 31, 2012)…

…NBC’s Georgia Tech/Notre Dame matchup earned a 2.59 in metered market overnights, to score as the channel’s highest rated Notre Dame Football first afternoon game of the season since 2008.