The game averaged 29.8 million, the primetime (7pm on) portion of the game averaged 39 million viewers. The game was the second most-watched Sunday regular season game on FOX ever…
via FOX Sports press release:
ALMOST 30 MILLION VIEWERS WITNESS FAVRE’S RETURN TO GREEN BAY
Second Most-Watched Sunday NFL on FOX Game Ever;
Game Sets Several Other Milestones
NFL’s Game of the Year & Thrilling World Series Game 4 Combine to Deliver
FOX’s Best Sunday Night since 2008 Super Bowl
Driven by the highly-anticipated Vikings-Packers match-up which featured the return of Brett Favre to Green Bay, Sunday’s NFL National Game on FOX posted a huge 17.4/32 average household ratings/share, with 29.8 million viewers to set many impressive benchmarks for FOX Sports, including:
- Ranks as FOX’s second most-watched NFL Sunday telecast ever (most-watched ever was 32.1 mill. on 11/12/95 for SF-DAL)
- Ranks as the highest-rated telecast on any network since the Academy Awards back in February (20.6/31, 36.3 million)
- Ranks as the highest-rated and most-watched NFL Sunday telecast on any network since12/9/07 on CBS
- Sunday’s Prime portion of the telecast peaked at an astounding 22.2/37 averaging nearly 39 million viewers
- Sunday’s game is up +26% over last year’s comparable 13.8/27 (22.3 million)
In addition, FOX’s NFL post-game show, THE OT posted a strong 9.8/16, with 16.6 million viewers to rank as the most-watched and second highest-rated telecast ever since the program premiered in 2006.
The succession of FOX’s NFL overrun, THE OT, MLB Pre-Game, and Game 4 of the 2009 World Series delivered FOX a fantastic 13.7/22 household rating for the night, averaging just over 23.3 million viewers, ranking as FOX’s highest-rated and most-watched Sunday night since the 2008 Super Bowl, and ranks as the highest-rated and most-watched Sunday night on any network since the Academy Awards back in February.
romo will be pleased it failed to eclipse a Dallas game
I live in Carolina, so we had to watch the Panthers game…
But it’s a proven fact, Brett Farve brings ratings, and Brett Farve in Green Bay will bring good tidings to the network that’s carrying it. MNF’s numbers were huge earlier, and Fox’s numbers are even bigger.
and the ESPN preseason game.
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/09/01/monday-night-football-espn’s-most-viewed-preseason-game-ever-and-highest-rated-since-1996/25993
The MNF numbers: “21.8 million viewers and a 9.0 rating among adults 18-49. The previous cable record was last year’s Eagles vs. Cowboys contest with 18.6 million”
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/10/06/packers-vs-vikings-on-monday-night-football-sets-cable-viewing-record-with-21-8-million/29746
He is a deadset champion that bloke, I watched the game live here in Australia
Hey Bill, Romo is from little Burlington, WI. He was a Packer/Farve fan before going to Dallas!
Is it wrong that I chose to watch Chargers/Raiders instead?
I’m here in La Crosse, Wisconsin and I didn’t watch the game. Not a big football fan, but it was interesting going around this city during the game. It was deserted. No cars practically anywhere. My nephew and I walked down Lousy Street. Not on the sidewalk but down the middle the middle of the street, which normally is one of the two busiest streets in La Crosse. Not a single car went down it or crossed it that we could see. No cop cars. Nothing. No one in any restaurant or store. Like a Twilight Zone episode. It was surreal.
Not wrong, Kevin, you just didn’t participate in Setting Several Other Milestones.
Just amazing. This guy is 40 years old and has been one of the biggest stars in sports since the early 90’s.
From his drug rehabs, Super Bowl runs, deaths of his father and brother-in-law,wife’s fight with cancer, mother’s near death from Hurricane Katrina, and his battles with Packer management, the life of Brett Favre has been like a real life soap opera, and this return to Lambeau in the ultimate battle for redemption was merely the latest intriguing chapter.
And other than fans that still support the Packers, who can’t cheer for this guy, sticking it to the team that didn’t want him before 40 million people!
he’s 40 years old and playing as strong as he ever did, and he’s smarter and more discliplined than he ever was. I know NBC is creaming themselves for the FLEX games with Brett coming up. And can you imagine the numbers in the playoffs, and if Brett actually played in the Super Bowl???? If Brett was in the Super Bowl I’d call 150 million viewers in the US to shatter all records and to keep that record for 20 years.
Steve, Favre can definitely drive ratings for regular season games, but Super Bowl ratings are almost independent of the matchup.
I respectfully disagree, the SB numbers still go up and down if the matchup is significantly bad or good. The 2000 SB for instance featuring two subpar teams hit a drop, while Cowboy/Steeler matchups tend to do better. I think superstar players, superstar teams affect it, and if there’s a dominating storyline like undefeated Patriots, Eli Manning vs. Peyton Manning, or a 40 year old Brett Favre would spike the numbers. But we’ll see, I don’t want to “count my chickens ..” on a Brett Super Bowl.
Romo was a packer fan….but im not….lol