FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots 28-18 victory over the Minnesota Vikings drew the highest ratings of the week nationally and the highest ratings of the football season locally.
The Fox National time slot, which featured the Vikings-Patriots game, had a 15.2 household rating and 25.2 million viewers nationally. The game was the highest-rated and most-watched program of the week. It drew more viewers than any other Week 8 NFL game and any of the five World Series games.
The Patriots game had over 7 million more viewers than NBC's Sunday Night Football game between the Steelers and Saints. The Sunday Night Football game averaged a 10.7 HH rating and 18.1 million viewers, easily ahead of its head-to-head competition with Game 4 of the World Series, which averaged a 9.0 HH rating and 15.5 million viewers.
In the Boston market, the game aired on WFXT Channel 25 and had a household rating of 36.13 and a 64 share, making it the most watched program of the week, the highest rated program of the football season locally, and the highest rated Patriots game since 2007.
The game topped New England's previous high for the local market this season, reached during the Sunday, Oct. 24 Chargers game, which had a 35.10 HH rating. The Patriots' 23-20 week seven victory over the Chargers was the second most watched television program of its week nationally with a 13.1 HH rating and 21.9 million viewers.
The Patriots are on a record-setting pace for HH ratings through eight weeks in their designated market area with a 32.1 HH rating.
This season, the Patriots have also been part of two record-setting NFL broadcasts. New England's 23-20 overtime victory over Baltimore on Sunday, Oct. 17 helped CBS set the mark for the highest rating for its single-game window since it acquired the current AFC package in 2008. The Patriots-Jets game on Sunday, Sept. 19 was the most watched September CBS game ever.
This week, the Patriots travel to Cleveland to face the Browns on Sunday, Nov. 7. The game will be broadcast to a CBS audience with Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon calling the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and will air locally on WBZ in Boston.
