CONN.’S NBC SPORTS’ ‘SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL’ RANKS NO. 1 — AGAIN
STAMFORD — Amid the massive disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, some longstanding trends have endured. One of them is the dominance of the No. 1 prime-time television show in the U.S.
Stamford-based NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football” is on track to finish as the most-watched prime-time program for a record 11th-straight year, according to data released this week by Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.
During the 2021 NFL regular season, SNF averaged a total of 19.3 million viewers across the NBC broadcast channel and digital platforms, up 11 percent from last season. Across the 18-week regular season, viewers cumulatively watched nearly 70 billion minutes of SNF, the most in a season since 2016.
“From our down-to-the-wire NFL kickoff game in Tampa to Tom Brady’s return to New England to this past Sunday night’s uniquely thrilling season finale, the 2021 Sunday Night Football season was one to remember,” NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua said in a statement. “We thank our unparalleled production, technical and announce teams, which are the backbone of our record-setting 11-year run as television’s No. 1 prime-time show.”
In the second NFL season since the beginning of the pandemic, SNF again faced significant uncertainty. But it benefited from games again being played in full-capacity stadiums and less scheduling upheaval than in 2020, Bevacqua said.
“With the fans back in the stadiums and the vibrancy and energy of people back in stands, that means a lot,” Bevacqua said in an interview last month.
SNF never came close to losing the top ratings spot this season. It ranked as the No. 1 prime-time show in 16 of the 18 weeks this season, compared with 12 of 17 weeks in 2020. In addition, it accounted for eight of the top-10 and 14 of the 20 most-watched prime-time telecasts between Sept. 9, 2021 and Jan. 9, 2022.
“SNF continues to astound in its consistency,” said Josh Shuart, director of sports management at Sacred Heart University’s Jack Welch College of Business & Technology. “I don’t believe this is truly ‘the most competitive time slot in media,’ as self-promoted by the company. Nevertheless, NBC continues to impress with its dominance.”
The show also dominated on digital platforms, with Peacock live-streaming all NBC-carried NFL games for the first time this season. It produced a record “average-minute audience” of 843,000 viewers across Peacock, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, NFL Digital platforms and Yahoo Sports mobile platforms — up 8 percent from the previous record of 571,000 set last year.
SNF’s dominance reflected its lead in a number of audience groups, including a 14th-straight season as the No. 1 show among viewers in the 18- to 49-age range, a demographic highly valued by advertisers.
The show’s run as the No. 1 prime-time program has lasted far longer than earlier dynasties. “American Idol,” which previously held the record for the longest No. 1 run, ranked at the top from 2005 to 2011.
NBC Sports has assigned a total of about 140 Stamford employees to work this season on SNF and its leadin show, “Football Night in America.” FNIA is filmed at NBC Sports’ headquarters at 1 Blachley Road in Stamford and at the stadiums where SNF games are played.
This season, FNIA averaged 7.1 million viewers during the 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. eastern-time slot this season — up 18 percent from last season. FNIA has ranked as sports’ mostwatched weekly studio show for 16 consecutive years.
NBC Sports’ NFL programming will extend into the playoffs, which start this weekend with the Wild Card round. On Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals will host the Las Vegas Raiders, a game starting at 4:30 p.m., that will be carried on NBC, Peacock and Universo. On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Pittsburgh Steelers — a matchup starting at 8:15 p.m., that will be shown on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.
The season will culminate with NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVI, which will be played Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Coverage of the Super Bowl rotates among the major TV networks, and NBC last carried the big game in 2018.
It will mark the final SNF game on NBC for sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, NBC Sports announced this week. Tafoya is the most-honored national television sideline reporter in U.S. sports, with four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Personality-Sports Reporter.
“My time with NBC Sports has been the most satisfying of my career,” Tafoya said in a statement. “I’ve had the good fortune of collaborating with a team that is among the best at what they do, and the support I’ve received in this position has been unparalleled.”