FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The Patriots preseason finale against the New York Giants out-performed their preseason opener, becoming the highest rated TV program in the Boston market since the Academy Awards aired on ABC on Feb. 22, 2015 and the highest rated program on WBZ in Boston since the Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, 2015.
The broadcast garnered a 16.7 household rating, peaking at 19.7, and a market share of 28 and marked the second highest rated preseason finale since the LPM measurement system was created in 2002. Two of the Patriots five highest rated preseason finales have come against the Giants.
On Thursday night, an average of 557,500 viewers watched as the two teams faced each other in the preseason finale for the 11th straight year. The game's impressive ratings made it the highest rated preseason matchup of 2015.
WBZ Channel 4's Patriots Gameday pregame show enjoyed a whopping 9.1 household rating and a market share of 18, making in the highest rated preseason pregame show in the LPM era. The broadcast averaged a viewership of 289,700 football fans, more than doubling last week's total.
Last season, an average audience of 114.4 million viewers tuned in as the Patriots defeated the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, making the NBC broadcast the most watched TV program of all time. Next week, the NBC crew will travel to Foxborough, as the defending Super Bowl champs kick off their regular season on Sept. 10 at 8:30 p.m. with a primetime Thursday night matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
