or


[09/11/15 - 12:02 PM]
2nd Most-Watched "NFL Kickoff" Game Ever as More Than 27 Million Tune in to Steelers-Patriots on NBC
NBC further spins the numbers for Thursday, September 10.
[via press release from NBC]

2ND MOST-WATCHED "NFL KICKOFF" GAME EVER AS MORE THAN 27 MILLION TUNE IN TO STEELERS-PATRIOTS ON NBC

Game is Most-Watched Show on Television in 5 Months

16.2/28 HH Rating for Steelers-Patriots Up 3% From '14 Opener

NBC Sports Live Extra Sets Streaming Record for non-Olympic/Super Bowl Event with 32 Million Minutes

STAMFORD, Conn. - September 11, 2015 - The New England Patriots' 28-21 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on NBC last night averaged 27.4 million viewers to rank as the second most-watched "NFL Kickoff" game in the 14-year history of the event, according to Fast national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

The most-watched, highest-rated quarter hour was 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET with 30.2 million viewers and a 17.5/30. The most-watched "NFL Kickoff" was the 2010 opener (Vikings-Saints, 27.5 million) featuring an NFC Championship Game rematch, as Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings visited the then-defending Super Bowl-champion New Orleans Saints. Viewership for Steelers-Patriots was up 1% from last year's opening-game (27.1 million for Packers-Seahawks).

Last night's game (8:41-11:29 p.m. ET) registered a national household rating of 16.2/28 - also ranking second best among Kickoff games behind 2010 (16.5/28). The rating was up 3% from last year's opener (15.7/27).

The Super Bowl-champion Patriots' seven-point victory, led by QB Tom Brady (four touchdown passes and a team-record stretch of 19 consecutive pass completions) and TE Rob Gronkowski (three TD receptions), is television's most-watched show since the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship (28.3 million viewers on April 6).

DIGITAL: NBC Sports Live Extra's live stream of last night's NFL Kickoff generated record-setting digital numbers. Fans consumed more than 32 million minutes, setting a new NBC Sports Live Extra record and making it the highest-trafficked non-Olympic, non-Super Bowl live stream in NBC Sports Digital history.

The 32 million minutes live streamed tops last year's "NFL Kickoff" game by 31% (24.5 million minutes). NBC Sports Live Extra also posted a record-setting 530,000 unique viewers for Steelers-Patriots - topping last year's "NFL Kickoff" game by 5%.

NFL KICKOFF VIEWERSHIP:
(All Games on Thursday Night except 2012)
2015 NBC 27.4 million (New England 28 - Pittsburgh 21)
2014 NBC 27.1 million (Seattle 36 - Green Bay 16)
2013 NBC 25.1 million (Denver 49 - Baltimore 27)
2012 NBC 23.9 million (Dallas 24 - NY Giants 17)**
2011 NBC 27.1 million (Green Bay 42 - New Orleans 34)
2010 NBC 27.5 million (New Orleans 14 - Minnesota 9)
2009 NBC 20.9 million (Pittsburgh 13 - Tennessee 10)
2008 NBC 13.5 million (NY Giants 16 - Washington 7)*
2007 NBC 17.8 million (Indianapolis 41 - New Orleans 10)
2006 NBC 19.2 million (Pittsburgh 28 - Miami 17)
2005 ABC 18.0 million (New England 30 - Oakland 20)
2004 ABC 16.9 million (New England 27 - Indianapolis 24)
2003 ABC 19.1 million (Washington 16 - NY Jets 13)
2002 ESPN 10.8 million (San Francisco 16 - NY Giants 13)

** Wednesday Night Game (First Wednesday NFL game since 1948)

* Early start due to Republican National Convention

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR STEELERS-PATRIOTS:
1. Boston 39.5/62
2. Pittsburgh 34.5/51
3. Providence 34.1/51
4. Baltimore 24.4/39
5. Richmond 23.9/36
6. Norfolk 23.4/37
7. Buffalo 23.2/37
8. West Palm Beach 22.4/39
9. Cleveland 21.7/33
10. Denver 21.7/38





  [september 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[09/15/26 - 04:06 PM]
US Open Men's Championship Averages 3.2M Viewers, ESPN's Largest Audience Ever
Viewership peaked at 4.0M from 5:30-5:45 p.m. ET.
[09/15/26 - 03:21 PM]
Michigan's Win Over Oklahoma Scores 8,221,000 Viewers on FOX
Plus: 3,094,000 viewers tuned in to Friday's Missouri-Kansas matchup on FOX.
[09/15/26 - 03:05 PM]
Ohio State/Texas Delivers ABC/ESPN's Top Regular Season Game in 10 Years; "College GameDay" Scores Most-Watched Week 2 Episode Ever
ABC scores two of week 2's top three games, with Alabama at Kentucky winning the afternoon by more than double the competition.
[09/15/26 - 02:58 PM]
FOX's "America's Game of the Week" Comes Out on Top in a Rare Week 1 Head-to-Head Matchup in the National 4:25 PM ET Window
20,346,000 viewers tuned-in to the Philadelphia Eagles win over the Washington Commanders in a window with head-to-head national competition.
[09/15/26 - 01:52 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers 25+ Million Viewers for Both NFL Kickoff Game and "Sunday Night Football" Opener for First Time Since 2015
Sunday's Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants matchup averaged 25.7 million on NBC and Peacock, marking the most watched NBC "Sunday Night Football" season opener since 2015 (Giants at Cowboys), based on Nielsen Big Data inclusive of first party data.
[09/15/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 7 - "The Gentlemen" Brings Sophistication to the No. 1 Spot in This Week's Top 10
"Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Again?" debuted at the top of the English film list, gathering 19.3 million views for its lakeside destination wedding.
[09/14/26 - 03:51 PM]
ESPN Aces Its Most-Viewed US Open Women's Semifinals Action Ever, Averaging 2.2M Viewers
Viewership peaked with 2.6M avg. viewers (9:45-10 p.m. ET) during Coco Gauff's three-set showdown against Elena Rybakina.
[09/14/26 - 11:57 AM]
NFL Gameday in Melbourne on Netflix Scores With an Average 18.5 Million US Viewers for First-Ever NFL Regular Season Game in Australia
Globally, the historic matchup averaged 21.7 million viewers, with fans from over 200 countries and territories tuning in to the first-ever NFL regular season game played in Australia.
[09/14/26 - 09:50 AM]
NFL Kickoff Game on NBC and Peacock Featuring Patriots-Seahawks Tops 25 Million Viewers for Fourth Consecutive Year
In addition, NBC Sports delivered the largest NFL Kickoff Game audience among Adults 18-49 since 2021, averaging 10.0 million viewers in the key demographic across NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital properties.

[09/10/26 - 11:02 AM]
Wisconsin-Notre Dame on NBC & Peacock Is NBC Sports' Third-Most Watched Notre Dame Football Game Since 2005, Averaging 8.1 Million Viewers
The audience for the No. 4 Fighting Irish's 41-13 victory peaked at 9.7 million viewers in the second quarter (9:15-9:30 p.m. ET) as Notre Dame led 13-10.
[09/09/26 - 03:52 PM]
"College GameDay" Wins Week 1 With Top-Three Regular Season Show on Record
Coverage of Clemson/LSU was the top Saturday game of Week 1.
[09/09/26 - 03:30 PM]
ESPN's US Open Coverage Is Most-Viewed Since 2022 Through Third Round
The full-tournament average so far is up 5% over 2025 and the most viewed since 2022, the year of Serena Williams' final match before her return this year.
[09/09/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 31
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "The Grand Tour," and "The Traitors" led all original series worldwide.
[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 31 - "The Whisper Man" Tracks Down No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Death of the Pastor's Wife" held the top spot of the English TV list with 13.9 million views.
[09/08/26 - 10:09 AM]
FOX MLB Posts Best Regular Season Thursday Night Baseball Telecast Since 2022
2,668,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX Thursday for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Brewers in most of the country.