America has spoken: NFL over ”American Idol.”

For the seventh consecutive year Jakub Vrana Jersey , NBC’s ”Sunday Night Football” has topped the season’s television ratings, as measured by Nielsen. That edges the six straight years for Fox’s ”American Idol” (2005-06 through 2010-11).

The football games averaged 18.2 million TV viewers in 2017, a 29 percent margin over the runner-up, ”Thursday Night Football” on CBS.

Fred Gaudelli, who produces the broadcasts, credits the scheduling of headline games each Sunday night – NBC did not flex any contests from daytime to night time last season – as well as the NFL’s hold on sporting America.

”One of the things that has allowed `Sunday Night Football’ to achieve this record is that when the NFL decided to take its marquee prime-time game off Monday and put it on Sunday, they would do all in their power to make sure Sunday nights would become successful,” Gaudelli says. ”The flex schedule, the marquee matchups Martin Jones Jersey , week in and week out.

”This is now the 13th season for `Sunday Night Football,’ and the NFL has maintained that commitment, and that is a major reason why people are not tired of tuning into the prime-time game after a full day of football on Sunday.

”It’s usually an outstanding attraction and there are big stars in the game … combined with all the people who work on the show, people want to make sure they are not skipping watching the game.”

They aren’t. While all sports ratings are declining, NBC’s remain at the top for its Sunday prime-time programming.

The network also tracks what it calls Total Audience Delivery, including digital viewers. That number, which measures average minute viewing across broadcast and digital, was 18.4 million.

Of course, as Gaudelli notes Sergei Boikov Jersey , Americans are in a transition period in their viewing habits, watching how and when they want to watch.

”A lot of viewing has gone to the computer to the tablet and to the phone, and there’s still not any exact measurement of how many people truly are watching,” he says. ”Our ratings may have declined, but not nearly at the rate of the rest of prime-time TV has declined.”

That being said, sports in general and the NFL in particular have a huge edge over other programming. In this day of instantaneous social media information and feedback, if you aren’t watching the action live, you’re behind the game.

”In the era we are now living in, live is so much of a bigger deal than it has ever been before Filip Forsberg Jersey ,” Gaudelli says.

”Everyone is tuned into it at the same time, and the national conversation probably is a little greater because live is kind of its own animal right now.

”And there’s the tremendous drama that comes with the NFL.”

When NBC got back into the NFL business, it wisely went with a news-oriented studio show. The advantage of televising a Sunday night game is obvious. The network could respond to the stories of the day, something the jockfest daytime shows don’t attempt.

That approach not only has brought critical praise, but eyeballs and ears for ”Football Night in America” and ”Sunday Night Football.” The pregame show is the highest rated of any network’s.

”We try to tell compelling stories and use an innovative approach,” Gaudelli says. ”But we’re also trying to satisfy the hunger of the football fan. I know they appreciate that.”

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Danica Patrick’s heart is racing for Aaron Rodgers.

Patrick, a Chicago Bears fan, confirmed Monday she is dating the Green Bay Packers quarterback.

”Yes, Aaron and I are dating Youth Brandon Sutter Jersey ,” Patrick told The Associated Press.

Rodgers split from actress Olivia Munn in 2017 after three years of dating. Patrick in late November ended a five-year relationship with fellow NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Patrick and Rodgers have been linked romantically since the start of the new year, right before Patrick began promoting her new fitness book.

She told the AP the two first met at the 2012 ESPY Awards and that despite her allegiance to the Bears, ”I told him a long time ago I’d always root for him as a player.

”Now I am probably going to cheer for the whole team,” she added. ”Take out the word `probably.’ Now I’m going to cheer for the whole team.”

Patrick is shifting her career off the race track and into the business of her personal brand. She’d like to close her racing career by competing at next month’s Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, a farewell she’s dubbed ”The Danica Double.”

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