Despite missing the playoffs last season and high profile players Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss being long gone, the Vikings’ local TV popularity remains impressive. For the first five Sunday games this season the Vikings are averaging a 30.5 rating, better than last year’s 28.8. (A rating point is a percentage of households watching a particular program).
The best rating among the Sunday games is a 35.1 against the Bears (27.4 in first Bear game in 2005). The second best rating came last Sunday against Seattle, 33.7.
With around 500,000 households watching each game, the Vikings blow away the TV popularity of other teams in town. On Sunday, October 1 when the Twins were playing for the Central Division championship, they had an 11.8 rating compared with the Vikings’ 23.6 (Buffalo game). The Twins’ audience did impact the Vikings’ rating because it was the lowest of the season and about six points below the second smallest rating.
The Twins’ playoff games at the Metrodome had 9.2 and 10.8 ratings, while in Oakland the rating was 11.3. The third game had a better rating because the telecast started later in the day and continued into early evening.
Last Saturday’s Minnesota-North Dakota State football game produced a 4.5 rating (cable telecast).