Sunday Night Football rules U.S. TV ratings

ATLANTA — The number of Americans watching NFL games might be dropping, but audience numbers still crush most other television shows.

For an unprecedented seventh consecutive year, Sunday

Night Football on NBC was America’s most popular primetime show in all key metrics, the network announced Wednesday, hours before the 2017-18

TV season concluded. Sunday Night Football had been tied with

American Idol, which for six straight seasons from 2005-06 through 2010-11 was the top show on U.S. TV. SNF has held that honour since.

“We celebrate this accomplishment with the NFL and the millions of loyal viewers who tune in every Sunday,” NBC Broadcasting and Sports chairman Mark Lazarus said in a statement.

The other most dominant ratings-toppers in U.S. primetime history are The Cosby Show (five years, 1985-86 to 1989-90), All in the Family (five years, 1971-72 to 1975-76) and Gunsmoke (four years, 1957-58 to 1960-61).

Sunday Night Football averaged 18.2 million U.S viewers this past season, far and away the No. 1 show. The No. 2 show this past TV season drew 29% fewer viewers, the widest gap in SNF’s seven-year run of dominance.