FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – In their first appearance of the 2019 season in front of the Gillette Stadium crowd, the Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers 10-3 behind a stifling defensive performance and a rushing touchdown from fullback James Develin.
The debut of the team's starting lineup, including quarterback Tom Brady, resonated with local audiences, as the WBZ-CBS broadcast generated the highest preseason Game 3 ratings since 2005.
In a combined total of WBZ-CBS and WMUR-ABC stations in the Boston (Manchester) DMA, the Patriots-Panthers game delivered an 18.4 household rating and 35 market share, which marks a 31 percent year-over-year increase from the team's 2018 preseason Game 3 matchup against the Panthers, a 7:30 pm Friday night kickoff. The broadcast averaged 612,100 viewers, peaking at 8:45 pm with nearly 750,000 viewers. Ratings topped off at 8:30 pm with a 21.9 housing rating and 39 market share.
The game also marked the third-straight week in which the Patriots earned the top spot over all local programming.
The Patriots will conclude their preseason slate against the New York Giants on Thursday, Aug. 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET at Gillette Stadium. The game will be broadcast locally on WBZ-CBS with Bob Socci handling play-by-play duties, Scott Zolak leading color commentary and Rob Ninkovich providing analysis from the sideline.
