Cowboys are back and so are the viewers
It’s only August 4, but apparently we’re ready for some football.
The Dallas Cowboys’ preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals Thursday night on KXAS/Channel 5 dwarfed the local competition in the DFW television ratings.
The Cowboys scored a 13.9 in the Nielsen overnights. The Rangers-Twins game scored a 2.4.
The Cowboys game was the first NFL preseason game and first NFL action since the Super Bowl in February. Never mind that most of the front-line players didn’t see the field. It’s football. And football rules DFW.
Variety said it was the NFL’s highest-rated weeknight preseason game in six years.
Viewers ages 18 to 49 weren’t as dedicated to the NFL. The Cowboys scored a 7.0 while the Rangers scored a 0.6 in that age group. Those numbers dropped to 4.6 and 0.4 for ages 18 to 34.
Among viewers over 65, both the Cowboys and Rangers did well. The Cowboys scored a 14.5; the Rangers a 4.7.
Viewers stayed with the Cowboys game for much of the night despite the lack of star power. The lineup on KTVT/Ch. 11 was the stiffest local competition for the NFL. Wheel of Fortune scored a 5.3 at 6:30 p.m., followed by The Big Bang Theory (3.9), Kevin Can Wait (2.6) and Big Brother (4.6), from 8 to 9 p.m.
Stefan Stevenson: 817-390-7760, @StevensonFWST
This story was originally published August 4, 2017 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Cowboys are back and so are the viewers."