Strong ratings have been a theme for the start of the 2019 NFL season, and Week 3 mostly continued to build upon that narrative.
The Sunday early and late windows on CBS drew impressive figures, with the national late game posting a 14.2 overnight.
NFL on CBS National Window rates as Highest of the Day, Earning a 14.2/29 Rating/Share in Metered Marketshttps://t.co/5rkj7dkiI6 pic.twitter.com/UhhKadkBJQ
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) September 23, 2019
The early window returned a 9.3 for CBS, with Fox also posting solid overnights for their singleheader week:
Sundays with the @NFLonFOX remain š„š„š„
Season-to-date, the network is up +7% over last year in the metered market ratings. pic.twitter.com/0hJC1Nkjzp
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) September 23, 2019
As Sports Media Watch notes, those afternoon numbers represent similar figures to last year’s Week 3, although obviously different matchups are involved. The Cowboys, for example, were in the afternoon slot last season:
Compared to Week 3 last year, overnights fell 7% from a 15.3 for coverage on FOX featuring Cowboys-Seahawks.
Earlier in the day, CBS averaged a 9.3 for the first half of its doubleheader, which featured Ravens-Chiefs in 65% of markets ā up 3% from last year on FOX (mostly 49ers-Chiefs: 9.0), but down 7% from 2017 on CBS (10.0).
The competing NFL singleheader on FOX, featuring Broncos-Packers (32%) and Dolphins-Cowboys (21%), averaged an 11.6 ā the highest in Week 3 since 2016 (mostly Washington-NY Giants: 12.2). Overnights increased 40% from last year on CBS (8.3) and 13% from 2017 on FOX (mostly Giants-Eagles: 10.3).
NBC’sĀ Sunday Night Football matchup which saw the Rams in Cleveland posted a 12.8 rating, winning the primetime window overall despite going up against the Emmy ceremony on Fox.
Sunday Night Football's Return to Cleveland (@Rams vs. @Browns) Delivered for NBC… pic.twitter.com/SxcyguXQ2J
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) September 23, 2019
Those numbers are also down slightly from last year’s comparable week, but last year’s game didn’t have an awards ceremony for competition.
Good catch: no. Last year the Emmys aired a bit earlier and on a Monday (b/c it was on NBC last year). https://t.co/mN7EFOvApF
— Sports TV Ratings (@SportsTVRatings) September 23, 2019
As you’d expect, the Ohio ratings were off the charts:
Top markets for @Rams vs. @Browns on NBC Sunday Night Football pic.twitter.com/XNgON14Ba4
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) September 23, 2019
All in all, a solid week for ratings, which is starting to become a trend.
