FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Despite most of the team's starters sitting out the final preseason matchup, a 31-29 loss to the New York Giants, the Patriots again claimed a victory in local television ratings on Thursday night.
In a combined total of WBZ-CBS and WMUR-ABC stations in the Boston (Manchester) DMA, the broadcast delivered a 16.8 household rating and 33 market share, making it the highest-rated local programming of the week. Ratings peaked at 8:45 pm with a 20.1 household rating and 36 market share.
These numbers reflect a 45 percent year-over-year increase over the team's 2018 preseason Game 4 ratings, also a Thursday evening matchup with the New York Giants.
The Patriots close the preseason having won the local television ratings for four-straight weeks, playing in both the Thursday night and Saturday night timeslots in the month of August.
The team will kick off the regular season – and celebrate the unveiling of their sixth Super Bowl banner – on Sunday, Sept. 8, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game will be broadcast by NBC with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth in the booth and Michele Tafoya providing updates from the sidelines. Kickoff is slated for 8:20 pm ET at Gillette Stadium. The game will be broadcast locally on NBC 10 Boston.
