• by Wayne Friedman , January 6, 2017

National TV advertising for the just-completed NFL regular season rose 6% in 2016 as overall TV ratings declined.

NFL regular-season games -- weekend and prime-time programming -- pulled in $3.4 billion in 2016 versus $3.2 billion the year before, per iSpot.tv. In 2016, there were some 669 brands airing 2,613 TV spots; in 2015, 639 brands airing 2,287 spots.

TV ratings for the average NFL regular-season football game sank 8% in 2016 to a Nielsen 16.5 million viewers this season from 17.9 million in 2015.

This year, automakers spent $757.8 million; wireless communications companies, $265.1 million; insurance companies, $198.6 million; restaurants, $190.4 million; and mobile devices, $185.9 million.

Verizon was the single biggest advertiser in 2016, at $151.9 million, followed by Toyota at $88.7 million; NFL (through promotional availabilities) with $86.3 million; GEICO at $80.9 million; and Chevrolet with $75.6 million.

This year, iSpot.tv estimates CBS pulled in $1.08 billion in total advertising sales from NFL regular-season football, followed by NBC at $1.01 billion; Fox with $820.7 million; ESPN at $306.3 million; and NFL Network with $173.6 million.

A year ago, CBS pulled in $1.1 billion in advertising sales from regular-season football, followed by NBC at $866.4 million; Fox with $824.6 million; ESPN at $336.7 million; and NFL Network with $110.7 million.