Patriots-Giants 'Triplecast' Scores Season High Rating

by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, December 31, 2007

Saturday's telecast of the New England Patriots and New York Giants game - the first ever three-network simulcast of an NFL game - set a season high rating, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings released Sunday by the NFL.

The game, which ended in the Patriot's thrilling 38-35 victory over the giants, averaged 34.5 million viewers, according to the NFL's analysis of Nielsen's so-called "fast national ratings."

Assuming those ratings hold up when final national estimates are released, it would make the game the most watched show of the 2007-08 season, and the most watched since the Feb. 25th airing of the Academy Awards.

The game, which was carried by CBS, NBC and the NFL Network, as well as on local over-the-air independent stations in New York and Massachusetts, also marks the highest rated regular season NFL game since Thanksgiving 1995, when the Chiefs-Cowboys game garnered an average of 35.7 million viewers.

MOST-WATCHED SHOWS, CURRENT TV SEASON

Date	Program (Game)	Viewers
Dec. 29	NFL Network Saturday Night Football (Patriots-Giants)	34.5 million
Nov. 4	CBS Sunday National (mostly Patriots-Colts)	33.8 million
Dec. 9	CBS Sunday National (mostly Steelers-Patriots)	30.3 million
Oct. 14	CBS Sunday National (mostly Patriots-Cowboys)	29.1 million
Sept. 27	CSI (season premiere)	25.4 million

Source: The NFL, Nielsen.

sports, television, tv

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