Capping off the first full day of the 2015 NFL season, NBC’s Sunday Night Football matchup of the Cowboys and the Giants delivered boosts across the board as compared to the head-to-head between the two teams from last year. Preliminary overnight ratings were at a three-year high, rising 11 percent from the 2015 Sunday opener. Given timezone adjustments, the game was also up a solid 15 percent in the key demo of adults 18-49—averaging a 9.2 rating. (That’s higher than even the adjusted figure last year’s game brought in.) (THR / Live Feed)
NBC’s stations averaged 24.5 million viewers overall from 8:30 to 11 p.m., with these numbers expected to rise by 10 percent or more in the nationals once the full duration of the game and all West Coast viewing are included. A year ago, the SNF opener between the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos averaged an 8.0 in the prelims and rose to a 9.0 in the nationals (and 23.7 million total viewers). (Variety)
Fear The Walking Dead returned to AMC after taking Labor Day weekend off, there were regional football overruns on CBS and, pushed into prime time, the U.S. Open men’s final battle between victorious Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on ESPN. And there was the Miss America Competition (1.5/4) on ABC. Facing a night of increased competition over last year’s Sept. 14 broadcast, the live show from Dick Clark Productions is even in fast nationals with 2014, which was a low; last year’s live two-hour Miss America went up to a 1.6/4 in the final numbers. (Deadline)