Unprecedented 3-Year TV trend for NFL continues with Super Bowl XLVII

NFL GAMES ACCOUNT FOR 55 PERCENT OF MOST-WATCHED TV SHOWS SINCE SEPT. 2010 

In addition to ranking as the year’s most-watched television show, this Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVII on CBS culminates three years of record-breaking NFL TV viewership.

Fall 2010 was the NFL’s most-viewed season reaching a total of 207.7 million fans on television with all five of the NFL’s television partners posting viewership increases.

Since Sept. 1, 2010, NFL games have accounted for the majority of television’s most-watched shows, including:

• 55 percent of all TV shows averaging 20 million viewers*
• 70 percent of all TV shows averaging 30 million viewers*
• 92 percent of all TV shows averaging 40 million viewers *

 *based on live + same day viewership (minimum show length: 30 minutes)

From Sept. 1, 2010 through January 27, 2013, NFL games accounted for 135 of the 247 TV shows (55 percent) reaching at least 20 million average viewers, according to live + same day viewership information provided by The Nielsen Company.  

Following is a full breakdown:
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Conference Championship Games most-watched shows since Super Bowl

GAMES AVERAGE 44.9 MILLION VIEWERS

RECORD-TYING FIVE ’12 PLAYOFF GAMES TOP 35 MILLION VIEWERS 

The AFC and NFC Championship Games ranked as TV’s most-watched programs since Super Bowl XLVI.

The Baltimore Ravens-New England Patriots AFC Championship Game on CBS drew 47.7 million viewers, based on The Nielsen Company’s Fast National ratings. The San Francisco 49ers-Atlanta Falcons NFC Championship Game on FOX drew 42.0 million viewers. This marks the fourth consecutive year that each conference championship game drew 41 million viewers.

Five 2012 playoff games averaged at least 35 million viewers – tying the record set last year.

Since the Summer Olympics, nine NFL games have accounted for the only programs on television to reach 30 million viewers – four Divisional playoff games, two Conference Championship Games, two Wild Card playoff games, and the final Sunday Night Football game.

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EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME & SENIOR BOWL KICK OFF ‘PATH TO PRIMETIME’ ON NFL NETWORK

EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME AIRS SATURDAY, JANUARY 19 AT 4:00 PM ET

EXCLUSIVE SENIOR BOWL PRACTICE & GAME COVERAGE JANUARY 21-26

NFL Network’s ‘Path to Primetime’ begins when it introduces fans to the next generation of NFL talent with exclusive coverage of the East-West Shrine Game Saturday, January 19 at 4:00 PM ET, Senior Bowl practices January 21-24 and the Senior Bowl game January 26 at 4:00 PM ET.

The East-West Shrine game is live from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. Paul Burmeister provides the play-by-play, while Mike Mayock and Charles Davis (@CFD22) serve as game analysts. Rebecca Haarlow (@RebeccaHaarlow) and Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) are the sideline reporters.

Coverage on Saturday begins at 3:30 PM ET with the NFL Total Access: East-West Shrine Pregame show. It is the third consecutive year NFL Network will broadcast the longest-running all-star college football game

Former NFL head coaches Jerry Glanville and Leeman Bennett will coach the two teams in the 88th annual edition of the East-West Shrine Game.

Following the East-West Shrine Game, Burmeister, Mayock, Davis, Haarlow, and Jeremiah travel to Mobile, AL, to provide wall-to-wall coverage and analysis of Senior Bowl week. It is the sixth consecutive year NFL Network will broadcast Senior Bowl practices and the Senior Bowl game.

NFL Network’s daily coverage of Senior Bowl practices starts on Monday, January 21 at 4:00 PM ET. On Tuesday and Wednesday, practice coverage airs from 2:00 PM-3:00 PM ET (North team) and 3:00-4:00 PM ET (South team). On Thursday, both practices will be shown from 2:00 PM-3:00 PM ET. A 30-minute recap show of the day’s action airs Monday through Thursday at 10:30 PM ET.

The Senior Bowl game is Saturday, January 26 at 4:00 PM ET. Once again, Burmeister calls the game alongside analysts Mayock and Davis, while Haarlow and Jeremiah will be sideline reporters. Coverage on game day begins at 3:30 PM ET with the NFL Senior Bowl Pregame show.

The Oakland Raiders (North team) and Detroit Lions (South team) staffs will coach the Senior Bowl squads, which include an impressive list of quarterbacks such as EJ Manuel (Florida State), Landry Jones (Oklahoma), Mike Glennon (North Carolina State) and Tyler Wilson (Arkansas).

Other notable players include running backs Kenjon Barner (Oregon) and Johnathan Franklin (UCLA), wide receiver Denard Robinson (Michigan), offensive lineman Braxton Cave (Notre Dame), linebacker Arthur Brown (Kansas State), and safety Bacarri Rambo (Georgia). Four members of the BCS National Champion University of Alabama squad are scheduled to participate in the game.

For a complete list of the players invited and for more information on the Senior Bowl, visit http://www.seniorbowl.com/index.asp.

NFL Network’s ‘Path to Primetime’ 2013 NFL Draft programming provides fans with unmatched coverage as college football’s best players transition to the NFL. In addition to the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl, the ‘Path to Primetime’ 2013 NFL Draft programming slate includes the Path to the Draft studio show beginning on February 27^th and continuing through April, the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine February 23-26, pro day workouts and NFL prospect features on NFL Total Access. The ‘Path to Primetime’ culminates with the 2013 NFL Draft April 25-27.

NFL Network’s East-West Shrine Game & Senior Bowl Programming Schedule

Saturday, January 19

3:30 PM – NFL Total Access: East-West Shrine Pregame

4:00 PM – 2012 East-West Shrine Game – LIVE from Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Monday, January 21

4:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 1 North Practice

10:30 PM – Senior Bowl Day 1 Recap

Tuesday, January 22

2:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 2 Practice – North team

3:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 2 Practice – South team – Live

10:30 PM – Senior Bowl Day 2 Recap

Wednesday, January 23

2:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 3 Practice – North team

3:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 3 Practice – South team – Live

10:30 PM – Senior Bowl Day 3 Recap

Thursday, January 24

2:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 4 Practice – North team and South Practice

10:30 PM – Senior Bowl Day 4 Recap

Saturday, January 26

3:30 PM – NFL Total Access: Senior Bowl Pregame

4:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl – LIVE from Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL

NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. For more information, log on to www.nfl.com/nflnetwork.

Divisional Weekend averages 34 million viewers for record third consecutive year

RAVENS-BRONCOS ON CBS MOST-WATCHED SATURDAY AFC DIVISIONAL IN 26 YEARS

7 NFL GAMES RANK AS ONLY TV SHOWS WITH 30 MILLION VIEWERS SINCE SUMMER OLYMPICS

For a record third consecutive year, the four Divisional Playoff games averaged more than 34 million viewers and accounted for the four most-watched shows on television last week (chart below).

Saturday night’s Baltimore Ravens-Denver Broncos game on CBS drew 35.3 million viewers ranking as the most-watched AFC Saturday Divisional Playoff since at least 1987.

Since the Summer Olympics, seven NFL games have accounted for the only programs on television to reach 30 million viewers – four Divisional playoff games, two Wild Card playoff games, and the final Sunday Night Football game.

Most-Watched Shows on Television, Week of Jan. 7-13, 2013

Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company

Wild Card Weekend averages 30 million viewers for third consecutive year

SEAHAWKS-REDSKINS ON FOX THIRD MOST-WATCHED WILD CARD GAME ALL-TIME

For the third consecutive season, the Wild Card playoffs averaged more than 30 million viewers per game.  Sunday’s Seattle Seahawks-Washington Redskins game on FOX drew 38.1 million viewers ranking as the most-watched non-Olympic telecast since the Academy Awards (39.3 million on ABC, Feb. 26, 2012) and the third most-watched Wild Card game ever behind the 2011 AFC Wild Card on CBS (Steelers-Broncos, 42.4 million) and 2010 NFC Wild Card on FOX (Packers-Eagles, 39.3 million). 

The four games were also the four most-watched shows on television last week (chart below).

Most-Watched Shows on Television, Week of Dec. 31, 2012-Jan. 6, 2013

Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company

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NFL 2012 TV Recap

200 MILLION FANS TUNED IN 

31 OF 32 MOST-WATCHED SHOWS THIS FALL  

FIRST: NFL GAME TV’S MOST WATCHED SHOW ALL 17 WEEKS 

NFL GAME VIEWERSHIP MORE THAN DOUBLES BROADCAST PRIMETIME 

RECORD SEASON FOR NFL NETWORK & NFL DIGITAL PROPERTIES

Football fans tuned into the 2012 NFL season in big numbers.  According to The Nielsen Company, the 2012 regular season reached 200 million unique viewers, representing 80 percent of all television homes and 69 percent of potential viewers in the U.S.

NFL games accounted for 31 of the 32 most-watched TV shows among all programming last fall (chart below).

For the first time ever, an NFL game was the week’s most-watched TV show in all 17 weeks of the season.  NFL games ranked 1-2 in viewership in 15 of the 17 weeks.

NFL games continued to more than double broadcast primetime viewership. NFL games on CBS, FOX and NBC averaged 19.3 million viewers – 154 percent higher than the average primetime viewership among the four major over-the-air networks (7.6 million average on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC). That NFL advantage is nearly triple the 52 percent edge of a decade ago (chart below).

Locally, an NFL game was the highest-rated show in NFL markets a record 93 percent of the time – marking the third consecutive season topping 90 percent. In addition, NFL games were the highest rated show in all 30 markets for the week a record five times this season. Previously there were four “30 for 30” weeks in the full 2010 and 2011 seasons.

More 2012 NFL TV highlights:
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NFL game telecasts 29 of 30 most-watched TV shows this fall

NFL Game Tops Ratings in All 30 Markets for Second Consecutive Week & Record Fifth Time in ‘12

An NFL game was the most-watched show on TV last week (Dec. 17-23) for the 16th time in 16 weeks of the NFL season with the FOX national telecast (mostly New York Giants-Baltimore Ravens) topping all sports and entertainment competition with 24.2 million viewers.

Locally, an NFL game was the highest-rated show in all 30 NFL markets last week, marking the second consecutive week and the record fifth time this season that NFL games topped local ratings in all NFL markets. Previously there were four “30 for 30” weeks in the full 2010 and 2011 seasons.  NFL games have topped local ratings 93 percent of the time this season (up from 90 percent at this point in ’11).

For the season, NFL games rank as 29 of the 30 most-watched TV shows since Labor Day. Following are the most-watched programs this fall:
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Week 17 Flexible Scheduling

COWBOYS-REDSKINS TO BE NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAME DEC. 30;

DOLPHINS-PATRIOTS MOVES TO 4:25 PM ET ON CBS;

PACKERS-VIKINGS TO 4:25 PM ET ON FOX

The Week 17 Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins game on Sunday, December 30 will be played at 8:20 PM ET on NBC, the Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots game will move to 4:25 PM ET on CBS and the Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings game will move to 4:25 PM ET on FOX, the NFL announced today.

Most markets will see four Sunday afternoon games (two on CBS and two on FOX) plus the NBC Sunday night game with the NFL’s Week 17 double doubleheader schedule, which was introduced in 2006.

Following is the Week 17 NFL schedule (asterisk and bold/italics represents changed game time): 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 (WEEK 17)

The NFL utilizes “flexible scheduling” on Sundays in Weeks 11-17 to ensure quality matchups in all NFL Sunday time slots.

NFL game tops ratings in all 30 local NFL markets for record fourth time

NFL Game Telecasts 27 of 28 Most-Watched TV Shows This Fall

An NFL game was the highest-rated show in all 30 NFL markets last week (Dec. 10-16), marking the fourth time this season NFL games topped local ratings in all NFL markets – the most ever through Week 15. In addition, the four “30 for 30” weeks matches the prior full-season records set in 2010 and 2011.

NFL games were the two most-watched shows on TV last week with the CBS national telecast (mostly Pittsburgh Steelers-Dallas Cowboys) topping all sports and entertainment competition with 26.9 million viewers followed by NBC’s Sunday Night Football (San Francisco 49ers-New England Patriots) with 23.2 million viewers.

An NFL game has topped the viewership charts in all 15 weeks this season and 14 times in 15 weeks NFL games ranked 1-2 in viewership.

For the season, NFL games rank as 27 of the 28 most-watched TV shows since Labor Day. Following are the most-watched programs this fall:
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NFL to stream Super Bowl with CBS; Wild Card Saturday & Pro Bowl with NBC; All four postseason games also available via NFL Mobile from Verizon

MORE THAN 2 MILLION WATCHED SUPER BOWL LIVE STREAM LAST YEAR ON NFL.COM & NBCSPORTS.COM

Super Bowl XLVII on CBS, and the Pro Bowl and the Wild Card Saturday doubleheader games on NBC will be available to fans on television, online and on select mobile phones, the NFL announced today.  All four postseason games will also be available on NFL Mobile from Verizon. 

Super Bowl XLVII will be broadcast on CBS with fans able to access the live stream from NFL.com and CBSSports.com. NBC’s postseason games – the Wild Card Saturday doubleheader and the Pro Bowl – will be broadcast on NBC as well as streamed live on NFL.com and NBCSports.com.

The live coverage from CBSSports.com, NBCSports.com and NFL.com will come from CBS’ and NBC’s TV coverage of the games.  Complementing that stream will be a number of extra features to enrich the viewing experience including additional camera angles, in-game highlights, live statistics and other interactive elements.

Last year’s first-ever live stream of a Super Bowl in the United States attracted 2.1 million users, making it the most-watched, single-game sports event ever online, according to data provided by Omniture and mDialog, surpassing any previously reported record. The live game stream was available on both NBCSports.com and NFL.com as well as NFL Mobile from Verizon.
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