Sunday Night Football ratings dip for NBC
STAMFORD — Millions of Americans are spending more time at home than ever as a result of the coronavirus crisis. But their homebound schedules have hardly translated into a ratings bonanza for NBC Sports’ flagship show.
One month into the 2020 NFL season, Stamford- based NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football remains the No. 1 primetime TV program, but it has drawn noticeably fewer viewers in recent weeks. The audience dip is likely the product of a number of factors including increased competition from other leagues’ rescheduled events, news coverage in a presidential- election year and shifting viewer habits.
“COVID- 19 has done quite a number of all of professional sports, initially with mass shutdowns and now with many leagues shifting into unfamiliar seasons or playing abbreviated seasons or playoffs,” said Josh Shuart, director of sports management at Sacred Heart University’s Jack Welch College of Business & Technology. “Even the NFL is not immune to decreased viewership, although it’s still significantly higher than all other leagues.”
NBC Sports declined to comment for this article.
Early- season challenges
With its first two SNF games of the season — the Sept. 10 opener featuring the defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs’ victory against the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13 — NBC averaged 20.5 million viewers. For the 2019 season, SNF also averaged 20.5 million.
But the viewership has dipped in the past four weeks.
On Sunday, 15.6 million watched the Seattle Seahawks grind out a 27- 26 decision against the Minnesota Vikings. The same number watched the San Francisco 49ers beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 4.
The Seahawks’ win against the New England Patriots on Sept. 17 and the Green Bay Packers’ defeat of the New Orleans Saints a week later both brought in 18.5 million viewers.
As a result of the coronavirus crisis, SNF has faced increased competition this