NFL Ratings Still Relatively Strong This Weekend
by EG
Want an update on the continuing saga of NFL ratings? Through week five of the season, the bottom line is that ratings for NFL games are generally higher than they were last season, dashing the hopes of politicians who have sought to incite a boycott of the NFL. While plenty of football fans are willing to tell pollsters that they have a negative opinion of the league, it seems that very few of them are willing to actually refrain from watching the games.
This week's Sunday afternoon game between the Cowboys and the Packers saw a huge ratings increase from the same week last year, while this week's edition of Sunday Night Football saw a more modest increase over last year's ratings. It is undeniable that the political controversy stirred up by Donald Trump has had no negative impact on NFL ratings, and it may have had a slight positive effect.
NBC managed another easy Sunday win on the shoulders of the NFL. But while the primetime game was improved from the same one a year ago, it was off just enough from the previous week to mark a season low in early ratings.
The Chiefs-Texans game averaged a 10.6 rating among metered market households. Steady by most standards, off just 4 percent from the previous week, it still marks an overnight low for the NFL franchise this season.
On the bright side, the big losses of the 2016 season continue to be less of an issue for the league — despite ongoing controversy about how players choose to protest during the national anthem. Sunday's match-up was up 3 percent from the comparable game five of the 2016 season.
Strong NFL overrun aided Fox, which saw The Simpsons jump from its premiere to a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49. Freshman Ghosted held 100 percent of its premiere score from a week ago. That episode rose to a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 with initial time-shifting. Family Guy (1.4 adults) and The Last Man On Earth (1.0 adults) followed.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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