As the national TV audience continues to fracture and divide among cable channels and DVRs and on-demand Internet video, one thing can pull millions together at any given moment.
Live sports.
Specifically, live football.
And so it should be no surprise that, for the first time ever, a sports series finished the full TV ratings year as the highest-rated show on all of television. The NFL has announced that NBC’s Sunday Night Football was the most-watched show for the 2011-12 season, besting FOX’s American Idol.
The numbers are up across all network platforms for football, from CBS to FOX to ESPN, and the postseason generated huge numbers, culminating in the biggest audience in history tuning in for Super Bowl XLVII on NBC.
Despite the many issues and challenges and problems the NFL currently is facing, it’s a safe bet that the numbers will only continue to increase.