Another NFL Sunday night, another NFL Sunday night with higher ratings. NBC got big returns for their OT contest between the Cowboys and Texans Sunday night, registering a double digit increase in overnight ratings compared to last year for the all-Texas matchup.
NBC Sports PR reports that overnight ratings for Cowboys/Texans reached 12.4 with a 22 share, peaking at 13.3/26 in the fourth quarter. That’s great for NBC but what was even better was that this is their fourth straight week of double digit overnight rating increases, with a 17 percent increase from last year’s Week 5 game (Chiefs/Texans).
In some ways, it was very likely ratings would go up. Compared to last year, the only variable to last year’s Week 5 game was the Cowboys instead of the Chiefs. And no offense to the Chiefs but the Cowboys are going to bring in viewers. But given this is the fourth week in a row with double digit rating increases, this is becoming a trend. It’s becoming a trend, not just on Sunday nights but in most of the NFL, who have on average seen ratings growth.