CBS and NBC are seeing NFL game audience gains through Week 8, while ESPN and Fox are seeing a decline. Primetime on broadcast TV has been a bright spot for the league. NBC is averaging 23.6 million viewers for its games to date, marking the best figure for an NFL primetime package through Week 8 since '96, when ABC was drawing 23.9 million viewers. CBS averaged 17.6 million viewers for its run of Thursday night telecasts, up from the net's first run last season when it averaged 16.7 million viewers for a package of games that featured a string of lopsided scores. All games on CBS were simulcast on NFL Network. While the broadcast TV packages are up, ESPN is down some for its Monday night games. ESPN is averaging 13.2 million viewers for its "MNF" games to date, down 6% from 13.99 million viewers last year, but up from figures in both '13 and '12. The "MNF" telecasts continue to win the night for ESPN.
SUNDAY AFTERNOONS: CBS for its Sunday NFL game windows is drawing the best average viewership for the AFC TV package on record (dating back to '87). The net is averaging 18.5 million viewers, up 5% from last year. The net's national windows, which have included some cross-flex games of NFC matchups, are averaging 24.1 million viewers. Meanwhile, Fox is averaging 19.8 million viewers through Week 8, down from 20.7 million viewers last season at the same point. The net's national window telecasts on Sunday afternoons are averaging 26.8 million viewers. Fox also finished with 29.4 million viewers last Sunday for Seahawks-Cowboys leading into the deciding World Series Game 5, marking the most-viewed NFL telecast this season to date. Combined with a morning NFL game from London, early afternoon regionalized coverage and some shoulder programming, last Sunday was Fox' biggest non-Super Bowl day audience on record.
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NFL GAME VIEWERSHIP THROUGH WEEK 8
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|
NET
|
'15 (000)
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'14 (000)
|
'13 (000)
|
'12 (000)
|
'11 (000)
|
|
NBC*
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23,632
|
21,660
|
22,097
|
21,165
|
21,262
|
|
CBS/NFL Network**
|
17,560
|
16,671
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n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
Fox
|
19,780
|
20,657
|
20,900
|
19,200
|
19,800
|
|
CBS^
|
18,500
|
17,551
|
17,648
|
16,700
|
17,265
|
|
ESPN
|
13,172
|
13,994
|
13,075
|
13,145
|
12,771
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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NOTES: * = Includes NFL Kickoff, which aired on a Wednesday in '12 to accommodate the Democratic National Convention. ** = Beginning in '14, NFL Net simulcasted "TNF" with CBS for Weeks 2-8. ^ = Sunday telecasts only.
