FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - After suffering their first loss of the season to the Buffalo Bills and recording a season low in household (HH) television ratings for the Boston/Manchester area, the New England Patriots sprung back with a record-setting Week 4 performance.
The game versus Oakland received a 34.12 HH rating and a 57 percent share, a record Week 4 rating for the Boston market. The previous Week 4 record for HH ratings (33.2) was set in 2002 at home against the San Diego Chargers. The Patriots have now set organizational HH ratings records in three-out-of-four weeks this season (37.1 HH rating at Miami and 35.3 vs. San Diego). The peak audience for the Boston market during Week 4 reached a 40.26 HH rating and 62 percent share during the height of the broadcast at approximately 7:00 PM.
Three other NFL franchises delivered record-setting Week 4 HH ratings including the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans. Furthermore, the NFL significantly out-produced the MLB playoff games, which aired at the same time as each respective NFL game in the DMA specific area. Fans tuned in to watch the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, and Green Bay Packers over the playoff games of the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Milwaukee Brewers. Three additional NFL teams (Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Philadelphia) posted higher ratings than three other MLB playoff teams (Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, and Philadelphia Phillies) that aired at separate times. For the 2011 season, NFL games rank number 1 for 92.5% of the time in NFL DMA's (111-for-120).
On the field, the Patriots (3-1) were able to defeat the Oakland Raiders (2-2) by a score of 31-19 in Oakland. The victory gave the Patriots great momentum heading into Sunday's game against AFC East rival New York Jets (2-2). The Patriots will take on the Jets Sunday, Oct. 9 for a scheduled 4:15 p.m. start. The action can be seen regionally across the country on CBS, including WBZ in the Boston market. This Sunday marks the franchise's 185 consecutive sellout, meaning that every game since the start of the 1994 regular season (Robert Kraft's first year of ownership) has been televised locally, including every preseason, regular season and postseason game.
