Leadoff: How Falcons' TV ratings have fared amid 1-5 start

Local TV ratings for Falcons games have held up pretty well — at least so far — as the team’s record has plummeted to 1-5.

Sunday's loss at Arizona drew an 18.1 rating in the Atlanta TV market, down slightly from 18.5 for the previous week's loss at Houston and up slightly from the Falcons' three afternoon games in September (all losses).

The Sept. 8 season opener at Minnesota drew a 17.4 rating in the Atlanta market, the Sept. 22 game at Indianapolis a 17.6 rating and the Sept. 29 home game against Tennessee a 16.2 rating.

The Falcons' highest TV rating in the Atlanta market this season was 22.3 for the Sept. 15 "Sunday Night Football" home game against Philadelphia. That game, the Falcons' only win this season, got a ratings boost in part from its prime-time slot.

The rating represents the percentage of the market’s TV households that were tuned in on average for each game.

About the Author

Tim Tucker

Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.

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