NFL’s 100th Season Kickoff Game Ratings Rise From 2018 As Packers Beat Bears In 199th Match-Up - Deadline

Promising to #InspireChange, the National Football League hit the pedal on its 100th season Thursday night with one of its greatest rivalries returning to the field as the Green Bay Packers faced the Chicago Bears in the Windy City.

Unlike the traditional Super Bowl champions perch in the kickoff game for a new season, the still Roger Goodell-run NFL went for the old enemies to commemorate the occasion with their 199th match-up. Even with the boos from Bears fans at Soldier Field on Thursday night and a protest free National Anthem, the decision looks to have been a winning choice.

Taken down 10-3 by Aaron Rodgers and an energized defense on the Wisconsin team, the reigning NFC North division champions Bears struggled from the beginning in what was one of the most grinding season openers of recent years. However, preceded by a Meek Mill and Meghan Trainor-led concert in the Midwest metropolis, and the hype of a centennial season, the Packers’ win over the odds favorite Bears was a ratings touchdown for the league or NBC.

Scoring a 15.3/28 in metered market results, the 8:30 – 11:30 PM ET game last night is up double digits over last year’s weather delayed Philadelphia Eagles 18-12 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The on-time Packers and Bears game shot up 14% from that September 6, 2018 game in the early metrics.

FINAL: The @packers WIN the #NFL100 season opener! #GoPackGo

(by @Lexus) pic.twitter.com/GulV1W92mC

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2019

In fact, with a 6% bounce over the 2017 kickoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots, last night’s match-up on the Comcast-owned broadcaster and the NFL Network was the best any Thursday night season opener has done since Denver played Carolina in 2016.

If the nine-year low of 19 million viewers that the Eagles and Falcons’ kickoff game ended up with last year is any guide, last night’s rivals redux battle looks certain to break the recent repeated years of straight double digit decline that have plagued the league and NBC. Depending how it all shakes out in the final numbers, the NFL and the broadcaster could exceed 25 million viewers – a more traditional realm for the season opener.

Moving into the weekend opener, Sunday Night Football makes its 2019/2020 season debut on September 8 with Super Bowl LIII winner the New England Patriots facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in Massachusetts.

As for today, we’ll update with more 100th season kickoff game numbers as they come in and the ratings results for competition series including Big Brother and Fox’s Spin the Wheel too.

Until then, here’s the Top 10 local markets for Thursday’s Packers’ win

1. Milwaukee 48.1/69
2. Chicago 35.3/56
3. Minneapolis 23.9/43
4. New Orleans 23.1/33
5. Kansas City 21.9/36
6. Denver 21.1/39
7. Buffalo 19.7/34
8. Jacksonville 19.0/31
9. Norfolk 18.1/28
10. Cincinnati 17.8/3

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https://deadline.com/2019/09/green-bay-packers-nfl-kickoff-game-ratings-rise-nbc-meek-mills-1202713643/

2019-09-06 13:26:00Z
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