Seahawks Season Opener Draws Huge TV Numbers
By Paul Novak
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
One of the greatest television shows of all-time was the sitcom Seinfeld. The ratings it produced were unheard of for any other TV show at the time. Even shows today have a tough time drawing anywhere near the record audiences it produced.
The Seahawks are Seattle’s Seinfeld. Sundays game drew the largest audience of all shows on TV at the time. Even with a 10 am start time the game drew a 65 percent share, which simply put means that 65% of TV’s that were on were watching the game.
For comparison, the 2012 Seahawks opener drew a 57 share and was a later start time, which tends to do much better since people aren’t in, you know, church. The increase in ratings shouldn’t be a surprise. The Seahawks currently have a team filled with Pro Bowl talent and expectations have never been higher. Russell Wilson is a franchise quarterback who set a career record for passing yards in the game and Seattle hasn’t had that since Matt Hasselbeck was near the end of playing his best football.
The playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons last year had a huge 79 share and was the most watched show in Seattle since the Seahawks and Steelers Super Bowl in 2006. How likely do you think it is that this weeks game against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink tops that mark?