"SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" SCORES BEST PRIMETIME OVERNIGHT VS. MLB LCS IN 13 YEARS

SNF is No. 1 on Sunday Night For 6th Straight Week

NEW YORK - October 18, 2010 - Last night's "Sunday Night Football" game delivered the NFL's best primetime overnight rating going against a Major League Baseball League Championship Series in 13 years, and was again the No. 1 program on Sunday night for the sixth consecutive week as it registered an overnight rating up 10 percent vs. last year's Week 6 game, according to overnight data released today by The Nielsen Company.

"Sunday Night Football," featuring the Indianapolis Colts 27-24 win over the Washington Redskins, earned a 13.2 overnight rating and 20 share (from 8:30-11:30 p.m. ET).

The 13.2 overnight for "Sunday Night Football" more than doubled the overnight rating for Major League Baseball's NLCS Game 2 featuring the Philadelphia Phillies victory over the San Francisco Giants (6.5/10). It was the best NFL primetime overnight against an LCS in 13 years, since a 16.4/25 for Cowboys-Redskins on 10/13/97 on ABC.

Last night's game was 10 percent higher than last year's Week 6 SNF game (Bears-Falcons, 12.0/19).

Ratings for "Sunday Night Football" in Week 6 have increased each year against the NLCS:

2010 - Colts-Redskins, 13.2/20

2009 - Bears-Falcons, 12.0/19

2008 - Patriots-Chargers, 9.4/15

2007 - Saints-Seahawks, 8.4/13

2006 - Raiders-Broncos, 8.1/12

The rating peaked at a 14.0/24 from 11:00-11:30 p.m. ET with the game still in doubt in its final moments.

When the viewership is available tomorrow from Nielsen, "Sunday Night Football" is expected to be the most-watched Sunday night show for the sixth consecutive week. Last season, SNF was the most-watched Sunday night primetime broadcast in a record 15 of 16 (94 percent) weeks. In 2008, SNF won 13 of 16 (81 percent) Sunday nights after winning 11 of 16 in 2007 (69 percent) and nine of 16 in 2006 (56 percent).

DOMINATED ORIGINALCOMPETITION: In addition to the NLCS on Fox, last night's "Sunday Night Football" broadcast dominated against original programs including ABC's Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, CBS's 60 Minutes, Amazing Race, Undercover Boss and CSI Miami.

SNF POWERS NBC TO SUNDAY NIGHT WIN: NBC won the night in the metered markets (10.2/26 from 7-11 p.m.) topping the 8.2/13 for second-place CBS by a 24 percent margin. NBC also beat Fox's 8.1/13 (with overrun NFL coverage and Baseball Playoff coverage) and ABC's 6.2/10 in metered-market primetime averages.

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR COLTS-REDSKINS:

1. Indianapolis, 43.8/58

2. Washington D.C., 30.4/46

3. Richmond, 24.0/35

4. Norfolk, 23.1/33

5. New Orleans, 22.6/39

6. Nashville, 21.8/30

7. Las Vegas, 19.9/30

8. Baltimore, 16.6/25

9. Knoxville, 16.5/23

10. Greensboro, 15.3/23

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About NBC Sports

NBC Sports is synonymous with superior production that elevates the event, broad promotion, and mutually-beneficial partnerships. Known as America's Olympic Network, NBC has broadcast 12 Olympic Games, more than any other network. Its ability to amass large audiences with broad promotion, particularly for the Olympics, has resulted in NBC Sports broadcasting nine of the top 10 most-watched events in U.S. television history, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games which stands at No. 1 all time with 215 million viewers. In 2009, NBC Sports won the prestigious Peabody Award for its production of the Beijing Games and was named 'Best in Sports Television' at the Sports Business Awards.

NBC Sports partners with numerous leagues and governing bodies to broadcast some of the most prestigious properties in sports, including: 'NBC Sunday Night Football,' which is the premier primetime NFL game of the week; 'Football Night in America,' which is the most-watched NFL studio program; Notre Dame football; the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes; the U.S. Open Championship, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the Ryder Cup; the NHL Winter Classic, NHL 'Game of the Week,' and NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final; and Wimbledon and the French Open.