NFL TV Ratings Down? Not When The Cowboys Play!

The last 3 national tv games featuring Dallas have been this year's most watched.  

Sports & television pundits have been pointing to lower ratings for pro football games since the 2016 season began.  While that may be true when reviewing the league's overall performance, it doesn't hold up when the Cowboys are part of an NFL coast-to-coast tv showcase.

Thanksgiving's match-up against Washington delivered the best ratings for a FOX Turkey Day broadcast in that network's history.  Then the following Thursday night, when the Cowboys played in Minnesota, the Dallas-Vikings contest on NBC was the #1 prime-time network show that week, finishing ahead of the typical weekly winner, NBC's Sunday Night Football.  Thursday night games are also simulcast on cable's NFL Network. Combining viewership numbers for both outlets, the Cowboys delivered the biggest audience for any pro football action so far this year.  Then one week ago, the NBC Sunday Night Football battle between Dallas & New York was the #1 prime-time network program by a 2-1 margin over that week's Thursday Night broadcast.  Even more impressive, the Cowboys-Giants game outdistanced the leading "scripted" prime-time tv series, The Big Bang Theory on CBS, by more than a 3-1 margin.  Amazing!

Whether that's the drawing power of America's Team, or the attraction of what's now an 11-2 regular season record, is a matter of opinion.  For now there's no dispute:  tv audiences are tuning in for Cowboys' games.  The NFL has clearly taken notice, as this week's Dallas-Tampa Bay contest has been "flex scheduled" into the NBC Sunday Night slot.  With the Bucs fighting for 1st place in the NFC South, & the Cowboys still needing at least one & maybe two more wins to clinch the NFC East, tonight's ratings will likely continue the incredible trend of the past 3 weeks.  We'll let you know when the numbers are released later in the week.