NFL viewership on US broadcast television finished ahead of network primetime viewership by its widest margin ever. NFL games on ABC, CBS and Fox averaged 15.5 million viewers. This was 56 per cent higher than the average primetime viewership among the four major over-the-air networks. The average viewership on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC was 9.9 million.

NFL games account for four of the top 10 programmes on network television this season. In addition, NFL games account for the top five shows among men 18-49 and five of the top seven programmes among men 18-34. ESPN's NFL games accounted for nine of the 10 most-watched basic cable programmes last year.

For a record 73 per cent of the time, NFL games were the top-ranked programme locally. In 2002, the figure stood at 69 per cent and in 2001, 55 per cent . Out of 508 local rating weeks this season, the number one spot for the week for all programmes in the individual markets went to an NFL game 370 times. That means that more than seven out of 10 times, the NFL game drew higher local ratings than Survivor, CSI or any other popular TV show.