'Sunday Night Football' ratings down amid national anthem protests
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The ongoing political protests surrounding some players' decision to take a knee during the national anthem didn't help the NFL's "Sunday Night Football" ratings.
Viewership for the primetime game between the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders was down on NBC by 11 percent from the same night one year ago and 9 percent from the previous week, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The media outlet reports the game averaged an 11.6 household rating. Fox saw a 16 percent decrease in ratings for the NFL afternoon game, according to Forbes.
However, ratings for CBS were up 4 percent from last year's Week 3 coverage, according to a CBS Sports press release.
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The less-than-stellar ratings came after President Trump slammed the NFL during a rally in Alabama on Friday, saying players who protest the national anthem should be fired.
Possibly taking away viewers from NBC's "SNF" WAS CBS' 50th anniversary season premiere of "60 Minutes" with Oprah Winfrey and the only broadcast of the new "Star Trek Discovery."
These were top markets for "Sunday Night Football," according to Deadline:
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1. D.C.- 23.3/40
2. Richmond – 22.1/33
3. Norfolk – 19.8/31
4. Sacramento – 17.5/32
5. S.F./Oakland – 17.2/35
6. New Orleans – 17.2/24
7. Denver – 16.2/27
8. Buffalo- 15.4/24
9. Kansas City – 14.8/24
10. Las Vegas – 14.5/23