2012 ‘Thursday Night Football’ Schedule Sets Rating & Viewership Records for NFL Network

Expanded 13-game schedule produces most-watched season for Thursday Night Football with an average of 7.3 million viewers

Season rating up 8% vs. 2011 for the #1 Thursday program on cable this Fall

NFL Network’s expanded schedule of Thursday Night Football broadcasts set rating and viewership records for the network in 2012. Including the audience from over-the-air broadcasts in local markets, Thursday Night Football finished with a record-high per game average audience of 7.3 million viewers in 2012, marking the fourth consecutive year that Thursday Night Football has set an all-time high viewership mark for NFL Network.

For the season, Thursday Night Football on NFL Network averaged a 4.6 US HH rating (including OTA’s), another record for the network. The 4.6 US HH rating represents an 8% increase from the 2011 season. Each week of the 2012 Thursday Night Football schedule, NFL Network’s game telecast was the day’s most-watched program on cable television.

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Hall of Fame Running Back Barry Sanders Featured on NFL Network’s ‘A Football Life’ Wed., Dec. 5 at 8:00 PM ET

Emmy-Nominated Series Continues Wednesday, December 5 at 8:00 PM ET

“I just felt like I had run out of steam. I just felt like it was my time.” – Barry Sanders

For 10 seasons, Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders electrified the NFL with unbelievable runs while putting up prolific rushing numbers. Yet just before the start of the 1999 NFL season, as one of the league’s biggest stars, he quietly walked away from the game.

NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated series A Football Life continues Wednesday, December 5 at 8:00 PM ET with a profile of one of the NFL’s greatest players who retired during the prime of his career. Barry Sanders: A Football Life examines Sanders’ incredible Hall of Fame career, his unexpected retirement and the reaction it garnered throughout both the NFL and the city of Detroit, and his relationship with his late father, William.

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NFL games rank as two most-watched shows for 10th time in 11 weeks

Games Top Local Ratings in 28 of 30 NFL Markets

NFL games were the two most-watched shows on TV last week (Nov. 12-18) with the CBS national telecast (Indianapolis Colts-New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers-Denver Broncos) topping all sports and entertainment competition with 23.6 million viewers followed by NBC’s Sunday Night Football (Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers) with 18.2 million viewers.

This marks the 11th time in 11 weeks that an NFL game has topped the viewership charts and the 10th time in 11 weeks that NFL games ranked 1-2 in viewership for the week.

For the season, NFL games rank as the 17 most-watched TV shows since Labor Day. Following are the most-watched programs this fall:

Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company

Locally, NFL games topped ratings in 28 NFL markets last week.

NFL Network’s Week 11 ‘NFL Replay’ & ‘Sound FX’ Schedule

Tuesday, November 20

• 8:00 PM ET NFL Replay: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans
  Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson caught a screen pass from quarterback Matt Schaub and outraced the Jacksonville Jaguars defense for a 48-yard, game-winning touchdown reception with just 2:01 remaining in overtime in a 43-37 win. The connection from Schaub to Johnson capped a career day for the duo. Schaub threw for 527 yards and five touchdowns while Johnson caught 14 passes for 273 yards.  The Texans victory overshadowed an impressive effort by Jaguars backup quarterback Chad Henne who came off the bench to throw for 354 yards and four touchdowns:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000097197/GameDay-Jaguars-vs-Texans-highlights

 
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‘The Rich Eisen Thanksgiving Special’ to air on NFL Network Friday, November 23 at 10:00 PM ET

Features Hollywood Stars Rainn Wilson, John Slattery, Eric Stonestreet, and Hank Azaria

Interviews with NFL Hall-of-Fame Quarterback John Elway and Minnesota Vikings Running Back Adrian Peterson

Airs Friday, November 23 at 10:00 PM ET ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________­

NFL Network will air The Rich Eisen Thanksgiving Special on Friday, November 23 at 10:00 PM ET, featuring conversations with some of the biggest names in the world of sports and entertainment. Eisen, host of the Emmy-nominated NFL GameDay Morning pregame show and NFL Thursday Night Football, will delve into a variety of pop-culture subjects in a robust, spontaneous dialog with his guests.

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NFL Network’s ‘A Football Life’ Examines Hall of Fame Running Back John Riggins Wed., Nov. 21 at 8:00 PM ET

Emmy-Nominated Series Continues Wednesday, November 21 at 8:00 PM ET with Profile of ‘The Diesel’

“Football was never my life. The guys [and] the relationships were my life.” – John Riggins

NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated series A Football Life continues this week with a profile of the Hall of Fame running back John Riggins. Premiering Wednesday, November 21 at 8:00 PM ET, John Riggins: A Football Life explores the life of the running back known as ‘the Diesel,’ from his upbringing in Centralia, Kansas, to his NFL career with the Washington Redskins and New York Jets, and the colorful personality he was known and loved for.

The one-hour documentary features sit-down interviews with Riggins, his brothers Frank and Bill Riggins, former teammates Joe Theismann and Joe Namath, and former Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs, among others. John Riggins: A Football Life also includes footage from the infamous Salute to Congress Dinner Riggins attended in 1985, and his Hometown Hall of Fame plaque ceremony at Centralia High School from October, 2012.

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Halftime report: More than 172 million tune in to NFL games in season of fantastic finishes

NFL Games Rank as TV’s 14 Most-Watched Shows this Season

Viewership Doubles Broadcast Primetime

NBC’s SNF #1 Show in Primetime; ESPN’s MNF #1 Show on Cable

NFL Game Tops Viewership in Each of Season’s 9 Weeks

At the halfway point of the 2012 NFL season, more than 172 million fans have tuned in to NFL games for good reason…they have been captivated by the fantastic finishes.  Nearly one quarter of NFL games (31 of 132) have had the winning score in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime – the highest rate ever through Week 9 since at least 1970.

NFL games account for the 14 most-watched programs on television since the NFL season kicked off on Sept. 5 (chart below). Through Week 9, NBC’s Sunday Night Football is the most-watched show in primetime and ESPN’s Monday Night Football is the most-watched program on cable.

In addition, the average NFL game telecast (including broadcast and cable) has drawn 16.0 million viewers – more than double the average primetime viewership (7.7 million) for the big four broadcast networks in the new television season, according to information provided by The Nielsen Company.

Since the beginning of the 2012 NFL season, NFL games have topped the local ratings in NFL markets a record 91 percent of the time – up from 86 percent through nine weeks last season.

Following are some fast facts at midseason:
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Super Bowl & National Championship-Winning Head Coach Jimmy Johnson Profiled on NFL Network’s ‘A Football Life’ Wed., Nov. 7 at 8:00 PM ET

Emmy-Nominated Series Continues Wednesday, November 7 at 8:00 PM ET

“When it comes to moving men, there is no one better than Coach Johnson.” – Michael Irvin

As a two-time Super Bowl and a national championship-winning head coach, Jimmy Johnson was able to get the best out of his players with a relentless pursuit for perfection and a drive to win at all costs.

On Wednesday, November 7 at 8:00 PM ET, the latest installment of the Emmy-nominated NFL Network series A Football Life examines the coach who drove his teams to achieve immense success on the field, and the man who now spends his time with family, fishing in the Florida Keys and on television as a football analyst.

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Former Linebacker Chris Spielman Profiled on NFL Network’s ‘A Football Life’ Wednesday, October 31 at 8:00 PM ET

Emmy-Nominated Series Continues Wednesday, October 31 at 8:00 PM ET

“Football is a direct reflection of life. There are wins, there are losses; you get knocked down, you get back up.” – Chris Spielman

Born and raised in the shadow of the birthplace of professional football, Chris Spielman was destined to become a football player. As a Parade All-American at Massillon High School and Ohio State, and throughout his 10-year NFL career, Spielman’s life was defined by football and the hits he delivered on the field. But the hardest hit of his life, however, came when his high school sweetheart and wife Stefanie Spielman was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 at the age of 30. The focus of his life shifted from the field to off it, and to the biggest challenge he would ever encounter.

NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated series A Football Life continues Wednesday, October 31 at 8:00 PM ET with a profile of Spielman, chronicling his celebrated playing career and his roles as a father of four, college football analyst, inspirational speaker and advocate of cancer awareness. The one-hour documentary features exclusive interviews with Spielman, family members, friends and former teammates, providing an emotional, comprehensive and compelling look at the football player, husband and father.

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NFL Network’s ‘A Football Life’ Explores Life & Legacy of Eddie DeBartolo Wednesday, October 24 at 8:00 PM ET

“The greatest owner in professional sports history is Eddie DeBartolo” – Ronnie Lott

“Owning a football team is the dream of every red-blooded American”  – Eddie DeBartolo

Emmy-Nominated Series Continues Wednesday, October 24 at 8:00 PM ET

Features Interviews with Family Members & Former Players of the Five Time Super Bowl Winning Owner

A 30-year-old Youngstown, Ohio native was the least likely individual to turn the San Francisco 49ers into a model franchise of the National Football League. However, that is what Eddie DeBartolo achieved, winning five Super Bowls with two different coaches and two different quarterbacks during his 23 years as owner of the 49ers, a period of success matched by few other professional sport organizations. 

Airing Wednesday, October 24 at 8:00 PM ET on NFL Network, Eddie DeBartolo: A Football Life chronicles the career of one of the youngest owners in NFL history beginning in 1977 and through his 2009 induction as the first member of the 49ers Hall of Fame. Eddie DeBartolo: A Football Life showcases the undying loyalty of DeBartolo’s players, which he earned through his dedication to the organization.

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