Pro and College Football Enjoy Early Viewership Success
Is football more popular than ever? If last weekend was an indication then it very well may be. FOX’s 4pm NFL telecast drew 25.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched opening Sunday NFL telecast since at least 1987. In addition, every national game in NFL Week 1 on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday nights was up compared to the same games last year:
| TELECAST | 2009 P2+ VIEWERS | 2008 P2+ VIEWERS | % CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBC Thurs Kickoff (TEN-PIT) | 20,909,000 | 13,478,000 | 55% |
| FOX National (NY-WAS; STL-SEA; SF-ARI) | 25,109,000 | 20,921,000 | 20% |
| NBC SNF (CHI-GB) | 21,102,000 | 18,352,000 | 15% |
| ESPN MNF (NE-BUF) | 14,001,000 | 12,501,000 | 12% |
| ESPN MNF (SD-OAK) | 11,945,000 | 9,665,000 | 24% |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
The pros aren’t the only ones enjoying the spoils of America’s pigskin passion. Among college football’s marquee games this past weekend, USC-OHIO St. delivered ESPN 10.6 million viewers on Saturday, the largest cable audience for a regular or post-season college football game ever. And Notre Dame-Michigan was seen by 8.4 million viewers, up 58% from the two schools’ match up last year.
https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2009/pro-and-college-football-enjoy-early-viewership-succes/
