via press release:
13 NFL TELECASTS TOP 25 MILLION VIEWERS – ONLY PROGRAMS TO REACH MILESTONE THIS FALL
NFL Games Top Local Ratings Record 89 Percent of Time
Thirteen NFL game telecasts this season have been watched by 25 million viewers – up from six at this point last year and topping the total for the full 2009 season (nine), according to The Nielsen Company. No other TV program this fall has reached the 25-million mark.
NFL game telecasts were the two most-watched programs on television last week (Nov. 29-Dec. 5). The FOX national telecast (mostly Cowboys-Colts) was the most-watched show among all programs with 27.4 million viewers -- the 13th time in 13 weeks that an NFL game telecast has been television’s most-watched program.
Steelers-Ravens on NBC Sunday night ranked second and was the week’s most-watched primetime program with 22.5 million viewers. Sunday Night Football is the most-watched primetime program this television season.
The Sunday night game also hit local milestones. The 47.8 local rating in Baltimore is the highest on record for all Ravens regular-season games. The 54.5 rating in Pittsburgh is tops among Steelers regular-season games since Week 10 of the 2005 season (58.2 for Browns-Steelers).
Jets-Patriots on ESPN Monday night drew 16.5 million viewers to rank as the fifth most-watched cable program of 2010. ESPN NFL games rank as the nine most-watched programs on cable this fall.
Locally, NFL games top the ratings in NFL markets 89 percent of the time – the highest rate in history after 13 weeks. Following is the list of 29 NFL markets where football was the top-rated program for the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 5:
| Week of 11/29–12/5 |
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RTG |
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| Market | Game | Date | RTG | SHR | Rank |
| Pittsburgh | Steelers at Ravens | 12/5/10 | 54.5 | 70 | 1 |
| Baltimore | Steelers at Ravens | 12/5/10 | 47.8 | 64 | 1 |
| New Orleans | Saints at Bengals | 12/5/10 | 46.6 | 69 | 1 |
| Kansas City | Broncos at Chiefs | 12/5/10 | 41.9 | 69 | 1 |
| Milwaukee | 49ers at Packers | 12/5/10 | 41.5 | 69 | 1 |
| Indianapolis | Cowboys at Colts | 12/5/10 | 41.0 | 62 | 1 |
| Minneapolis | Bills at Vikings | 12/5/10 | 36.9 | 68 | 1 |
| Dallas | Cowboys at Colts | 12/5/10 | 33.9 | 57 | 1 |
| Philadelphia | Texans at Eagles | 12/2/10 | 33.8 | 48 | 1 |
| Chicago | Bears at Lions | 12/5/10 | 33.2 | 62 | 1 |
| Atlanta | Falcons at Buccaneers | 12/5/10 | 31.3 | 47 | 1 |
| San Diego | Raiders at Chargers | 12/5/10 | 31.3 | 58 | 1 |
| Buffalo | Bills at Vikings | 12/5/10 | 31.0 | 50 | 1 |
| St. Louis | Rams at Cardinals | 12/5/10 | 29.7 | 50 | 1 |
| Nashville | Jaguars at Titans | 12/5/10 | 28.7 | 49 | 1 |
| Cleveland | Browns at Dolphins | 12/5/10 | 28.3 | 51 | 1 |
| Detroit | Bears at Lions | 12/5/10 | 26.1 | 50 | 1 |
| Jacksonville | Jaguars at Titans | 12/5/10 | 24.3 | 41 | 1 |
| Charlotte | Panthers at Seahawks | 12/5/10 | 22.7 | 37 | 1 |
| Houston | Texans at Eagles | 12/2/10 | 22.7 | 34 | 1 |
| Seattle | Panthers at Seahawks | 12/5/10 | 22.1 | 47 | 1 |
| Washington, DC | Redskins at Giants | 12/5/10 | 21.7 | 44 | 1 |
| San Fran-Oakland | 49ers at Cardinals | 11/29/10 | 20.0 | 36 | 1 |
| Phoenix | 49ers at Cardinals | 11/29/10 | 19.5 | 30 | 1 |
| Miami | Browns at Dolphins | 12/5/10 | 17.3 | 37 | 1 |
| New York | Redskins at Giants | 12/5/10 | 15.4 | 33 | 1 |
| Denver | Broncos at Chiefs | 12/5/10 | 14.3 | 35 | 1 |
| Boston | Steelers at Ravens | 12/5/10 | 14.0 | 24 | 1 |
| Tampa | Cowboys at Colts | 12/5/10 | 14.0 | 26 | 1 |
Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company
