NFL programming dominates television ratings

NFL programming dominated television ratings during the week of September 14 through September 20. According to Nielsen data, NFL telecasts occupied nine of the top 12 broadcast TV spots and five of the top 12 cable spots. Fox’s national NFL window was the most-watched program of the week, drawing 27.2 million viewers.

Week 2 of the NFL season saw a viewership rebound following a decline in Week 1. NFL game windows averaged 20.4 million viewers during Week 2, representing a 6% increase from the previous year and the highest average for a second week of play since Nielsen began its people meter era in 1988. While the two-week average of 19.9 million remains slightly below last year’s average, the Nielsen-measured streaming audience reached a record 1.6 million.

Other notable broadcasts included NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” which drew 24.3 million viewers, and ABC’s “Monday Night Football,” which averaged 19.4 million viewers for its solo game. College football also contributed significantly, with ABC’s LSU vs. Ole Miss telecast drawing 10.9 million viewers.