NBC Sports Spins Sunday’s Ratings

On Sunday, Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Fox beat Sunday Night Football on NBC, but the peacocks spun it so that it won key demographics against MLB. Check out the press release.

NBC SPORTS SCORES WITH "SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

Through 7 Weeks SNF No. 1 Primetime Show in Key Demos; No. 2 in Viewers and Household Rating

Cards-Giants Game #1 Primetime Show of Week in Key Demos Facing ALCS Competition; up 50% Over Last Year's Week 7

NEW YORK -- October 27, 2009 -- NBC's "Sunday Night Football" was the No. 1 broadcast on Sunday night and the No. 1 primetime show of the week in the key advertising demos, including Adults 18-49 for the seventh consecutive week (excluding NFL overruns) despite extraordinary competition that included Fox's coverage of the Yankees-Angeles deciding ALCS Game 6.

Additionally, "Sunday Night Football" also ranked No.1 among all primetime telecasts this week in adults 25-54 (tie) and all key adult-male demographics -- men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. "Sunday Night Football" was also the No. 1 program of the week on the broadcast networks among teens 12-17. 

SNF DOMINATES PRIMETIME THROUGH 7 WEEKS: Since the beginning of the football season (9/10/09-10/25/09) "Sunday Night Football" ranks as the top program in all of primetime television in the key advertising demos including Adults 18-49 (7.6), Adults 18-34 (6.7), Adults 25-54 (8.2), Men 18-49 (10.5), Men 18-34 (9.0) and Men 25-54 (11.3). For the season, SNF ranks No. 2 among viewers with 19.1 million trailing only NCIS (19.5 million) and ranks No. 2 in household rating with an 11.6 (NCIS, 11.9).

BEST START IN "SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" HISTORY:  Through seven weeks "Sunday Night Football" is off to its best start since NBC acquired the NFL's premier primetime package in 2006 (SNF, 2006-Present, MNF, 1970-2005). Below is the SNF viewership through seven weeks from 2006-2009:

2009: 19.1 million
2008: 15.9 million, up 20%
2007: 16.1 million, up 19%
2006: 17.2 million, up 11%

STRONG SUNDAY VS. TOUGH BASEBALL COMPETITION: Facing the Angels-Yankees deciding ALCS Game 6, Sunday Night's Cardinals-Giants game pulled in 15.0 million viewers (from 8:31-11:42 p.m. ET) up 50 percent from Week 7 in 2008 (Seahawks-Bucs, 10.0 million) when SNF also faced a deciding ALCS game, and only three percent off from the Angels-Yankees Game 6 (15.5 million).   

This is also the closest that SNF has come to an ALCS deciding game in the three years going head-to-head. In 2008, ALCS Game 7, Red Sox-Rays was 34 percent higher than the Seahawks-Bucs SNF game (13.4 million vs. 10.0 million). In 2007 the ALCS Game 7, Indians-Red Sox was 44 percent higher than the Steelers-Broncos SNF game (19.2 million vs. 13.3 million).

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL CLOSES GAP VS. ALCS DECIDING GAMES:
2009: SNF (Cards-Giants) 15.0 million
 ALCS (Angels-Yankees) 15.5 million (up 3 percent)
2008: SNF (Seahawks-Bucs) 10.0 million
 ALCS (Red Sox-Rays) 13.4 million (up 34 percent)
2007: SNF (Steelers-Broncos) 13.3 million
 ALCS (Indians-Red Sox) 19.2 million (up 44 percent)

This is the second straight week that SNF went head-to-head against baseball playoffs. Last week's Bears-Falcons game was 264 percent higher than that of the Dodgers-Phillies NLCS Game 3 playoff game on TBS (18.2 million vs. 5.0 million).  In the Los Angeles market, "Sunday Night Football" beat the NLCS game featuring the hometown Dodgers by 15 percent (8.4 vs. 7.3).

I’m in the midst of doing some work. I’ll try to get some links in, but I do want to spend some time watching tonight’s ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes so that may have to wait until later tonight.