via FOX Sports:

FOX Sports – Nov. 15 National Game
Powered by a high-profile Cowboys-Packers match-up, FOX’s national game on Sunday averaged a strong 15.9/29 average household rating/share, with an average audience of 26.7 million viewers, up +17% in rating and +19% in audience over last year’s Week 10 national game on CBS (13.6/26, 22.4 million).  It ranks as the No. 1 rated/watched NFL window of the week, +16% better than NBC’s Sunday Night Football game between the Patriots and Colts (13.7/22, 22.4 mill).  More impressively, FOX’s national game is the highest-rated and most-watched telecast on any network for the week (Nov. 9-15). Sunday’s telecast was also the top-rated show across all key male and adult demos including Adults18-49 (9.7).

Read the full story

(my understanding is this figure also includes the simulcasts in the San Francisco and Chicago markets).

Via PI Feedback forums:

NFL Thursday Night Football: Chicago at San Francisco (NFLN; 8:21-11:23pm et)
- 3.899 million viewers
- 2.4 HH
- 1.7 A18-49

And for a sports on cable comparison:

NBA Thursday: Cleveland @ Miami (TNT; 8:16-11:10pm et)
- 2.564 million viewers
- 1.7 HH
- 1.0 A18-49

Last years’ game during the same week on NFLN did a bit better: 4.411 million, with the Mangini vs. Tom Brady-less mentor matchup between the New York Jets and New England Patriots. (as the comment below notes, last year’s version of the New York Jets also included Brett Favre).  Last year the NFLN led off a week earlier than this year with a Broncos/Browns game. I don’t have handy access to those numbers, but commenter “romo” says it pulled a 1.9 household rating on November 6, 2008.

Of course maybe Rick is wrong, but…

Bill left the best stat from Rick out of his post: the NFL is seeing its highest average viewing across all networks through this point in the season in twenty years. Twenty years!  While this isn’t data that confirms the speculation, it is at least data!

It’s all speculative, and hell, it’s not like we don’t speculate ourselves frequently and whether Bill likes it or not, the speculation itself is reasonable.  Compared to all the Obama Endorsement leads to bad news for Oprah’s ratings, it’s in the realm of  downright respectable speculation.  Football ratings are up (best averages in 20 years so far!) and the economy is bad.

Unfortunately, there is no “Sunday Sports Bar Sales During NFL Games By The Numbers” to turn to.  It would perhaps provide the best indicator of the impact of the economy on measured TV ratings (sports bars aren’t measured)  for NFL games.  Are there more people who live in Nielsen homes staying home to watch football rather than going to sports bars to watch?  Perhaps, and perhaps not. Sadly, no data!

HDTV and big screen TVs may be a factor (completely independent of the economy)

What  Rick cited as an effect may actually be part of the  cause.  People really like watching on their big screens in HD, and perhaps not just because it’s the best value for the buck, but because it is a great experience.  And I’m not just saying that because *I* like it.  I’ve talked to a couple of networks and the data suggests (I’ve seen nothing conclusive) that the proliferation of HDTV has led to more time spent watching football.  They have some stats on HD viewing, but so far I haven’t been able to get my hands on them.

Combining the worst of both worlds, my rooting interest,  The Washington Redskins blames both a bad economy and lack of compelling match ups as the reason some people aren’t showing up for games, and fewer people are watching on TV locally.  Of course the match ups aren’t compelling. That’s because the Redskins suck!

Rick Kissell at Variety noticed that NFL football gets good ratings:

Pro football is this fall’s hottest reality show.

At the halfway point of the season, the National Football League has never been a more dominant ratings force.

Football has always been the “fall’s hottest reality show”. And broadcast prime time audiences continue their multi-decade decline. Ergo, relative football ratings vs. other broadcast prime time ratings improve every season!

And Rick jumps on the “It’s the economy” meme to explain football’s ratings increases this fall, and like everybody else, he doesn’t have any data to back it up.

Amid a troubled economy and high unemployment, Americans — many armed with their high-def bigscreen TVs — may simply be gravitating toward the best value for their buck.

Or it could be Brett Favre in Minnesota, or it could be two undefeated teams past halfway in the season, or it could be a lot of other things. Or it could be that it was Friday and Rick hadn’t met his quota of articles for the week.

via press release:

SUNDAY’S AFGHANISTAN SPECIAL COMPLETES

FOX SPORTS’ AMAZING MID-AUTUMN RUN

ALCS, World Series & NFL Power FOX Sports & FOX

To Unprecedented Heights

New York & Los Angeles — Audience figures for last Sunday’s sports programming were issued today by Nielsen Media Research, and for the first time the full impact of FOX Sports’ amazing 24-day mid-autumn run from Oct. 16 to Nov. 8 can be fully assessed. 

Read the full story

via press release:

via press release:

CBS SPORTS’ COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON-TO-DATE RATINGS BEST IN 13 YEARS

Read the full story

via press release:

Fox Sports en Espanol Hits Ratings Home Run With 2009 World Series Coverage

Network Strikes Out Competition across All Key Demographics during MLB Post-Season

Read the full story