Last year’s matchup between the Patriots and the Giants was viewed by a record 97.5 million people in the U.S. As expected, the Super Bowl was the most-watched TV broadcast in 2008. Networks broadcasting the Super Bowl often use the game as a lead-in for one of their regular shows. This year, NBC will broadcast a one-hour episode of The Office. Last year, 29.1 million viewers stuck around after the game to watch an episode of House on FOX.

Year
Super Bowl
Avg. viewers
in millions
Show After Game
Avg. viewers
in millions

2008
FOX – …

The 2008 Super Bowl was the highest-rated TV show in the U.S. for the year and was viewed by a record 97.5 million people – more than any previous Super Bowl. And, as expected, 42.9 percent of those viewers were males 18 years and older (45.8 million viewers). However, according to The Nielsen Company, 37.7 million women over the age of 18 were also watching. In the last 10 years, the percentage of women watching the Super Bowl between the ages of 18-54 has increased by 8 percent.
Despite this …

Rank
Program
Network
Match-Up
Viewers (P2+)

1
FOX SUPER BOWL XLII
FOX
NY GIANTS VS NEW ENGLAND
97,563,000

2
FOX NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
FOX
NY GIANTS AT GREEN BAY
54,005,000

3
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP ON CBS
CBS
SAN DIEGO AT NEW ENGLAND
44,850,000

4
FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SUN
FOX
NY GIANTS AT DALLAS
40,094,000

5
SUM OLYM TUE PRIME 1
NBC
 n/a
34,586,000

6
SUM OLYM SUN PRIME 1
NBC
 n/a
32,679,000

7
SUM OLYM SAT PRIME 2
NBC
 n/a
31,890,000

8
AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF-SU
CBS
SAN DIEGO AT INDIANAPOLIS
31,598,000

9
AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF-SA
CBS
JACKSONVILLE AT NEW ENGLAND
30,932,000

10
SUM OLYM MON PRIME 1
NBC
 n/a
30,579,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (2008).

Was 2008 the best sports year ever?  At least in terms of viewer interest, there’s plenty of evidence to support that argument.  Consider these TV sports highlights from 2008:
-The most-watched global event ever (2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: 4.7 billion viewers)
-The most-watched Super Bowl ever (Giants-Patriots, Super Bowl XLII: 97.5 million viewers)
-The most-watched cable broadcast of all time (Cowboys-Eagles, Monday Night Football: 18.6 million viewers)
-The most-watched cable golf event of all time (Tiger vs. Rocco, U.S. Open Playoff: 4.8 million viewers)
-The most-watched cable baseball game ever (Red Sox-Rays, ALCS Game 7: …

When is the best time to engage with sport fans? 
It may depend on the time of the year, according to a multi-sport study from Nielsen PreView.  The research, which analyzed fan loyalty for more than a dozen sports found that while some fans are fully dedicated to one sport, many have competing loyalties that affect their engagement with each sport. 
For instance, while NCAA Basketball season begins in the fall – when baseball and football are also on the sports scene, February and March are the prime months when basketball fans are most …

At 70 million copies sold — and counting, since its release in 1988, “Madden NFL Football” is the most popular sports video game of all time.
What’s driving the wild success of EA Sports’ star product? 
A marketing vision that combines a deep understanding of the game’s core fan base with an innovative, “three-screen” strategy that leverages TV, online, and mobile phone outlets for the game, Matt Foran of Nielsen Sports, writes in the November issue of Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” online newsletter.

Each week, Nielsen Sports’ analysts offer their take on the biggest sports media headlines.
Professional baseball, football, basketball, hockey — and even NASCAR — all converge in October, making it one of the year’s busiest sports months.  Unfortunately, that plethora of options frequently presents sports fans with difficult TV viewing decisions.
Take this past Sunday — when NBC’s Sunday Night Football carried live coverage of the San Diego Chargers playing the New England Patriots.  Meanwhile, Game 3 of the MLB National League Championship Series aired live on FOX.

Thursday night’s NFL Kickoff Game, between the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants and the Washington Redskins, attracted 13.5 million viewers, the smallest audience since 2002.
 
 
 

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

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 …