NBC NFL Telecasts Rank as 8 Most-Watched Primetime Shows Since Sept.

The New Orleans Saints' lopsided 49-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football was the week's most-watched Primetime program, drawing an average of 21.1 million viewers on NBC, according to official live plus same day national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

The 21.1 million viewers for Cowboys-Saints marks the eighth time that an NBC NFL telecast topped 20 million viewers this season, accounting for TV's eight most-watched Primetime shows since September based on live plus same day data.

Cowboys-Saints topped last season's Week 10 SNF game (Houston-Chicago, 20.9 million viewers) and ranks as the most-watched, non-NFL Kickoff Primetime game featuring the Saints in 20 seasons (Cowboys-Saints, 27.6 million on ABC, 12/19/94).

The Saints' runaway victory - highlighted by four Drew Brees touchdown passes -- on Sunday Night Football (8:31-11:34 PM ET) also posted the week's highest Primetime rating (12.3/20) and a 7.8 rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic to better by 26% the night's second-ranked show (The Walking Dead, 6.2).

NBC is averaging 21.5 million viewers per NFL regular-season telecast, the network's best 10-week start since acquiring the SNF package in 2006. Primetime TV's most-watched show this fall, Sunday Night Football has been primetime's #1 show for each of the past two television seasons.

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR COWBOYS-SAINTS:
1. New Orleans 56.2/73
2. Dallas 30.3/47
3. San Antonio 22.6/34
4. Austin 21.5/35
5. Albuquerque 20.1/30
6. Richmond 20.1/29
7. Memphis 18.4/25
8. Charlotte 17.0/28
9. Las Vegas 16.6/26
10. Norfolk 16.4/24
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