NFL Preseason Ratings Strong Vs. ’04

The following presents Nielsen ratings and attendance figures for this year’s nationally-televised NFL preseason games, with comparisons to ’04. More than half of the eleven preseason contests posted higher ratings than the comparable game last year. ESPN numbers are cable Nielsen ratings (THE DAILY).

'05 NFL PRESEASON RATINGS AND ATTENDANCE WITH '04 COMPARISONS
2005	TEAMS	NET	RAT/SHR (%+/- FROM '04)	HHs	ATTEND.
8/6	Falcons-Colts	ESPN	1.8/4 (-40.0%)	1,603,000	45,203
8/8	Bears-Dolphins (HOF Game)	ABC	6.2/11 (-15.1%)	6,847,000	22,292
8/11	Chargers-Packers	ESPN	3.7/6 (+8.8%)	3,313,000	69,611
8/15	Eagles-Steelers	ESPN	4.4/7 (+175.0%)	3,954,000	57,276
8/18	Saints-Patriots	Fox	4.6/8 (+17.9%)	5,078,000	68,736
8/19	Vikings-Jets	CBS	3.7/7 (0.0%)	4,068,000	76,441
8/22	Cowboys-Seahawks	ABC	6.4/11 (+28.0%)	7,054,000	48,090
8/25	Falcons-Jaguars	ESPN	3.5/6 (+20.1%)	3,152,000	60,596
8/26	Steelers-Redskins	Fox	3.4/6 (+13.3%)	3,780,000	73,987
8/27	Colts-Broncos	CBS	3.8/7 (+26.7%)	4,139,000	74,152
8/29	Rams-Lions	ABC	5.8/9 (-23.7%)	7,050,000	58,625
2004	TEAMS	NET	RAT/SHR	HHs	ATTEND.
8/9	Broncos-Redskins (HOF Game)	ABC	7.3/13	7,885,000	22,177
8/12	Falcons-Ravens	ESPN	3.0/5	2,655,000	69,299
8/16	Seahawks-Packers	ESPN	3.4/5	2,962,000	69,718
8/19	Giants-Panthers	Fox	3.9/7	4,220,000	72,562
8/20	Ravens-Eagles	CBS	3.7/7	3,985,000	67,218
8/21	Jets-Colts	ESPN	1.6/3	1,383,000	44,834
8/23	Rams-Chiefs	ABC	5.0/8	5,457,000	75,428
8/27	Redskins-Rams	Fox	3.0/6	3,256,000	65,393
8/26	Steelers-Eagles	ESPN	2.9/5	2,528,000	67,511
8/28	Patriots-Panthers	CBS	3.0/6	3,270,000	72,829
8/30	Titans-Cowboys	ABC	7.6/13	8,238,000	59,171