The NFL’s closely watched television ratings were a mixed bag on the first Sunday of the season.
On Sunday afternoon, ratings were up from Week One last year: The late afternoon window on FOX (mostly Cowboys-Panthers) drew a 15.7 overnight rating, an improvement over last year’s 15.6 in the same window last year, which was mostly Seahawks-Packers. And in the early afternoon, CBS was up with a 10.6 this year compared to an 8.6 last year, and FOX was up 8.8 this year from an 8.4 last year.
But in prime time, ratings were down, with a 14.4 for Bears-Packers on NBC, compared to a 15.8 for Giants-Cowboys last year.
Ratings were down for the Thursday night opener, so the league has so far seen improvement in three broadcast windows and a decline in two broadcast windows.
The league’s television ratings, which once looked unstoppable, have steadily declined in the last few years, although NFL games are still the most popular programming on American television.
