September 4, 2008
The wait is finally over for anxious football fans, as the NFL’s annual Thursday Night Kickoff Game, tonight on NBC, will usher in this year’s NFL season. The defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants will take on their divisional foe, the Washington Redskins.
Below are historical U.S. television ratings for NFL Kickoff Games since 2002.
In terms of TV ratings, the 2003 game, which drew 19.1 million U.S. viewers, is the year to beat. Last year’s game attracted approximately 17.5 million viewers.
| YEAR | NETWORK | MATCHUP | US HOUSEHOLD AA%* |
VIEWERS (P2+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | NBC | New Orleans at Indianapolis | 11.4 | 17,471,000 |
| 2006 | NBC | Miami at Pittsburgh | 12.6 | 19,043,000 |
| 2005 | ABC | Oakland at New England | 11.7 | 18,008,000 |
| 2004 | ABC | Indianapolis at New England | 11.4 | 16,888,000 |
| 2003 | ABC | N.Y. Jets at Washington | 12.9 | 19,149,000 |
| 2002 | ESPN | San Francisco at N.Y. Giants | 7.6 | 10,799,000 |
| *US HH AA% : Percentage of US households – Average Audience during entire telecast | ||||
For more info: Contact The Nielsen Company, or read about our media and consumer expertise.
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