Patriots Win Ties NFL Kickoff Ratings Record

| American Football | 09/11/2015

The New England Patriots’ 28-21 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers has officially kicked off the 2015 National Football League season.

American football fans celebrated by turning out in droves to watch the NBC broadcast that kicked off at 8:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday night in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

The game posted a 17.7/30 overnight rating/share per NBC Sports. That ties the record for the NFL Kickoff Game with 2010’s game and is 5% better than last year’s Kickoff game.

International ratings numbers have yet to be determined.

These days,  American markets ratings numbers are reported almost instantaneously. By the end of the weekend we should have a good idea how the NFL’s opening weekend performed internationally.

Year Network Teams Overnight Rating
2015 NBC Steelers – Patriots 17.8
2014
NBC
 Packers – Seahawks
16.8
2013
NBC
 Ravens – Broncos
16.2
2012
NBC*
 Cowboys – Giants
16.5
2011
NBC
 Saints – Packers
17.2
2010
NBC
 Vikings – Saints
17.7
2009
NBC
 Titans – Steelers
13.8
2008
NBC**
 Redskins – Giants
10.1
2007
NBC
 Saints – Colts
13.0
2006
NBC
 Dolphins – Steelers
13.5
2005
ABC
 Raiders – Patriots
13.1
2004
ABC
 Colts – Patriots
12.6
2003
ABC
 Jets – Redskins
14.5
2002
ESPN
 49ers – Giants
12.7

*Game aired on a Wednesday to accommodate Democratic convention
**Game started at 7pm to accommodate Republican convention.

Top ten local markets per NBC:

  • Boston 39.5/62
  • Pittsburgh 34.5/51
  • Providence 34.1/51
  • Baltimore 24.4/39
  • Richmond 23.9/36
  • Norfolk 23.4/37
  • Buffalo 23.2/37
  • West Palm Beach 22.4/39
  • Cleveland 21.7/33
  • Denver 21.7/38

Overnight household rating = the live+same day DVR overnight metered-market household rating from the top 56 Nielsen television markets. The 56 markets (out of 210 total) account for about 70% of the US TV-viewing population. The  overnight household rating is  the percentage of the households that were tuned-in in those market.

Source: sportstvratings.com

John McKeon is a former professional and collegiate American Football player and coach now living and working in New York. His goal is to spread news, information, and opinion on the global growth of the sport he loves.