or


[09/11/09 - 08:51 AM]
NBC Sports Scores Best NFL Kickoff in 7 Years
NBC spins the numbers for Thursday, September 10.
[via press release from NBC]

NBC SPORTS SCORES BEST NFL KICKOFF IN 7 YEARS

Best Overnight Sports Rating Since Super Bowl XLIII; Best Overnight Primetime Rating Since American Idol Finale

NBC Dominates Competition in Primetime Beating Second Place CBS by 144 %

NEW YORK - Sept. 11, 2009 - Last night's Titans-Steelers game on NBC Sports was the highest rated NFL Kickoff in seven years, had the best overnight sports rating since Super Bowl XLIII, the best overnight primetime rating since the American Idol finale and dominated the other networks according to data released today by Nielsen Media Research.

The game won by the Steelers 13-10 in overtime, scored a 13.8 overnight rating/23 share (8:45-11:45 p.m. ET), the highest rating for the Thursday NFL Kickoff since the inaugural game on network television (14.5/23 on ABC in 2003).

- BEST SINCE SUPER BOWL: Last night's game had the best overnight rating for any sporting event since Super Bowl XLIII, which was the most watched broadcast in U.S. television history. The Titans-Steelers game also generated the highest overnight rating for any primetime show on any broadcast network since the American Idol finale (15.3/25 on 5/20/09).

- DOMINATED PRIMETIME: NBC dominated primetime (8-11 p.m.) with a 12.2/20 average in the metered markets, establishing a 144 percent margin of victory over CBS's second-place 5.0/8 and more than quadrupling each of the other broadcast networks -- CW, 2.7/4; ABC, 2.6/4; Fox, 2.6/4.

- UP 37% OVER LAST YEAR: Last night's game was up 37 percent from the 2008 NFL Kickoff (Giants-Redskins, 10.1/17), which started early to allow coverage of the Republican National Convention, up six percent from the 2007 NFL Kickoff (Colts-Saints, 13.0/21) and up two percent from the 2006 NFL Kickoff (Dolphins-Steelers, 13.5/22).

- The rating peaked during the overtime period at a 15.0/29 from 11:30-11:45 p.m. ET.

TOP RATED SPORTS PROGRAMS SINCE SUPER BOWL XLIII
*Based on overnight ratings
1. NFL Kickoff (Titans-Steelers) 13.8/23 NBC
2. NCAA Championship (Mich. St-UNC) 11.9/19 CBS
3. NBA Finals, Gm. 4 (Lakers-Magic) 10.9/19 ABC
4. MLB All-Star Game 10.4/18 Fox
5. Kentucky Derby 10.2/22 NBC
6. NBA Finals, Gm. 3 10.1/17 ABC
7. NBA Finals, Gm. 2 9.9/17 ABC
8. NBA Finals, Gm. 5 9.4/16 ABC
9. NCAA Semifinal (Villanova-UNC) 9.3/17 CBS
10. NBA Finals, Gm. 1 8.9/15 ABC

NFL KICKOFF - THURSDAY NIGHT SEASON OPENERS OVERNIGHT RATINGS:
2009: NBC 13.8/23 (Pittsburgh 13 - Tennessee 10)
2008: NBC 10.1/17 (NY Giants 16 - Washington 7)
2007: NBC 13.0/21 (Indianapolis 41 - New Orleans 10)
2006: NBC 13.5/22 (Pittsburgh 28 - Miami 17)
2005: ABC 13.1/22 (New England 30 - Oakland 20)
2004: ABC 12.6/20 (New England 27 - Indianapolis 24)
2003: ABC 14.5/23 (Washington 16 - NY Jets 13)
*2002 ESPN 7.6/13 (Houston 19 - Dallas 10)
*U.S. HH Rating: overnight rating not available

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR LAST NIGHT'S GAME
1. Pittsburgh, 49.6/70
2. Nashville, 40.1/56
3. Baltimore, 20.5/33
4. Las Vegas, 20.0/32
5. New Orleans, 18.8/27
6. Cleveland, 18.7/30
7. Memphis, 18.2/25
8. Knoxville, 18.0/27
9. Washington D.C., 17.3/29
10. Norfolk, 16.9/27





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[09/29/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 21 - "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" Takes the No. 1 Spot for a Second Week
"Unabomber" premiered in the top spot on the English film list, gathering 16.4 million views.

[09/29/26 - 12:00 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Viewership Records and Milestones in Inaugural Season of WNBA Coverage Ahead of WNBA Finals on USA Network This October
USA Sports averaged 525,000 viewers across its 48 regular-season games - the most national games of any broadcaster - up 25% vs. 2025 WNBA cable average viewership.
[09/29/26 - 09:50 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Finishes 2025-2026 Season with Largest Overall Audience in Eight Years and Strongest Adults 18-49 in Four Years
In the final week of the 2025-2026 season, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" ranked No. 1 in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.
[09/28/26 - 02:45 PM]
The "VMAs" Scores 8.4 Million Viewers, Up +51% from Last Year, and Hits 11-Year Viewership High
The telecast peaked with over 15 million viewers across CBS and MTV in the opening act, which featured Madonna's first "VMAs" performance in 23 years, including a show-opening medley with Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.

[09/25/26 - 10:51 AM]
Cartman, Kenny, Stan, Kyle and "South America's" Season 29 Premiere Delivers 4.2 Million Multiplatform U.S. Viewers Across Comedy Central and Paramount+
The season premiere on Comedy Central outperformed last season's premiere by double digits on persons 18-49 rating and share and was the #1 non-sports cable telecast for the week with persons 18-49.

[09/25/26 - 10:35 AM]
ESPN Delivered Its Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever!
Across 29 games, the WNBA on ESPN networks averaged 1.37M viewers, up 17% year-over-year and ranking as ESPN networks' most-viewed WNBA regular season on record.

[09/24/26 - 12:25 PM]
ABC News Wins Across the Board in Late Night and Friday Night
"20/20" ranks as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, drawing its largest audience in two months and growing year to year in all key measures.
[09/23/26 - 02:56 PM]
Giants-Rams Becomes ESPN's Most-Watched Week 2 "Monday Night Football" Game Ever with 19.4 Million Viewers
Through the first two weeks, "Monday Night Football" is averaging 21.4 million viewers, up 29% compared to the first two weeks of the 2025 season.
[09/23/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 14
"Reacher," "Neagley," "Sterling Point," "El Juicio," and "The Grand Tour" led all original series worldwide.
[09/22/26 - 03:08 PM]
Record-Breaking Week 3: ESPN/ABC Claim Every Saturday Window; "College GameDay" Continues Historic Start to the Season
ESPN networks delivered the top five most-watched games of Week 3 and accounted for two-thirds of all college football viewing.
[09/22/26 - 02:34 PM]
FOX's "America's Game of the Week" Scores Regular Season High 27,212,000 Viewers in Week 2
Said coverage was up +8% vs. last year's full season average of 25,269,000 viewers.
[09/22/26 - 02:17 PM]
Colts-Chiefs Overtime Thriller Is Most Watched Week 2 NBC "Sunday Night Football" Game Since 2015, Averaging 24.3 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock
The audience for Colts-Chiefs peaked at 27.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock in the second quarter (9:15-9:30 p.m. ET).
[09/22/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 14 - "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Again?" Holds No. 1 for a Second Week
"Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" debuted at the top of the English TV list with 12.1 million views.
[09/22/26 - 12:00 PM]
"Dateline" Is the #1 Friday Newsmagazine in Both Key Demos for Second Consecutive Broadcast Season
The broadcast remains the #1 most-watched news magazine franchise and #1 most-watched true-crime franchise in total linear minutes watched for the season, with 151.2 million total viewers, up +4% vs. last season.

[09/21/26 - 07:02 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Season 35 "Two-Night Premiere: Night 2" Swings to 6.44 Million Total Viewers as the Ladies Take Their Turn in the Ballroom
"Dancing with the Stars" ranked as TV's No. 1 show in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 on both Tuesday and Wednesday across all entertainment programming.