More fans are watching NFL games on television through the season's first nine weeks than ever before, according to information provided by The Nielsen Company.
More than 175 million fans have tuned in to at least part of an NFL game this season – topping the 170 million viewers at this point last year. The average NFL game telecast (including broadcast and cable) has drawn 18.3 million viewers – double the average primetime viewership (8.6 million) for the big four broadcast networks in the new television season.
Following are some fast facts about the NFL on TV at midseason:
NFL games account for the 14 most-watched programs on television since the NFL season kicked off on Sept. 9. This compares to NFL games accounting for the six most-watched shows at this point last season and none of the top 15 shows five years ago.
NFL games are averaging 18.3 million viewers – up seven percent from last year at this point (17.2 million).
NFL games account for the 30 most-watched programs on television (since Sept. 9) among adults aged 18-49 – with each of the networks televising NFL games represented on that list.
An NFL game telecast has been television's most-watched program in each of the nine weeks of the NFL season.
NFL games top the local ratings in NFL markets 86 percent of the time – the highest rate in history after nine weeks.
10 NFL clubs have posted local-market ratings increases of at least 20 percent compared to last year at this time.
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