CBS gets its money’s worth from Thursday night Broncos-Chiefs matchup

As was the case a year ago, Nielsen is treating NFL Network as an affiliate of CBS’ on “Thursday Night Football”, and the cable network’s ratings will be included as part of the overall average credited to the Eye.

In Nielsen’s metered-market overnights, the Broncos’ 31-24 victory averaged a 14.3 household rating/25 share, up 4% from last year’s opening “TNF” game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh (13.7/23), which had held the franchise’s ratings record.

The National Football League underscored its status as the television ratings titan of U.S. professional sport last weekend after a record-breaking number of viewers tuned in for the start of the new season, a statement said Thursday. The fast national numbers are not timezone-adjusted, and thus subject to change. The specials’ 1.1 result matched NBC’s best Thursday average of the summer among the demo.

Lurid controversies that have dogged the sport over the past 18 months have done nothing to dim the sport’s appeal to armchair fans, with an average of 19.9 million viewers tuning in for games.

Meanwhile, FOX (2.089 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 0.5, #4) served up rebroadcasts of “Sleepy Hollow” (2.056 million viewers, #9; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T8) and another “Sleepy Hollow” (2.122 million viewers, #8; adults 18-49: 0.5, #T8). Only NBC aired originals, plugging in specials Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood and Mat Franco’s Got Magic. “Mat Franco’s Got Magic” at 9 got a 1.1/4 and 4.7 million viewers. Univision had a 3 share, Telemundo had a 2.