As Season Starts, Cowboys, Steelers and Vick Bring Buzz and Viewers for NFL
Apparently the Dallas Cowboys are also America’s “Online” Team as well. Thanks to their strong national following, as well their headline-grabbing new stadium, the Cowboys lead all teams in online buzz during the last 90 days, capturing 7.0 percent of the online NFL discussions on blogs, boards and groups.
| Top 10 NFL Teams Ranked by % of Buzz Among Key NFL Teams for the Past 90 Days |
||
|---|---|---|
| RANK | NFL Team | % of Buzz Among all NFL Teams |
| 1 | Dallas Cowboys | 7.0% |
| 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | 5.5% |
| 3 | Chicago Bears | 4.9% |
| 4 | Denver Broncos | 4.0% |
| 5 | Miami Dolphins | 4.0% |
| 6 | Oakland Raiders | 3.9% |
| 7 | Minnesota Vikings | 3.7% |
| 8 | New York Giants | 3.7% |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3.6% |
| 10 | Baltimore Ravens | 3.6% |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
NFC Rival Philadelphia Eagles were second in terms of total buzz volume, due in part to their signing of Michael Vick, who was atop the list of NFL player buzz. This summer saw his release from prison, his reinstatement to the league, and his signing with the Eagles, and fans not shy about voicing their opinion on both sides of the issue.
| Top 10 NFL Players Ranked by % of Buzz Among Key NFL Players Past 90 Days |
||
|---|---|---|
| RANK | Player | % of Buzz Among Key NFL Players |
| 1 | Michael Vick | 26% |
| 2 | Brett Favre | 15% |
| 3 | Tom Brady | 9% |
| 4 | Jay Cutler | 6% |
| 5 | Tony Romo | 5% |
| 6 | Peyton Manning | 5% |
| 7 | Reggie Bush | 4% |
| 8 | Adrian Peterson | 4% |
| 9 | Eli Manning | 3% |
| 10 | Drew Brees | 3% |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
In terms of television viewership, Pittsburgh, which kicked off this year’s season with Tennessee, continued to live up to its reputation as a football-crazed city, with the Steelers leading all teams in local markets ratings last season on their way to the Super Bowl. During 16 regular season games, the six-time Super Bowl champs were watched on average by 36.8% of Pittsburgh households.
| Top NFL Teams in Local Viewership | ||
|---|---|---|
| RANK | NFL Team | Local HH Rating 2008-2009 Season |
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 36.8 |
| 2 | Indianapolis Colts | 31.2 |
| 3 | Tennessee Titans | 30.5 |
| 4 | Buffalo Bills | 30.3 |
| 5 | Green Bay Packers | 29.3 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
[update: For the season opener on 9/10/09 – the Steelers’ hometown viewership was 49.6%]
https://www.qa.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2009/as-season-starts-cowboys-steelers-and-vick-bring-buzz-and-viewers-for-nfl/
