NFL games top-rated prime-time show of TV season

Published May 24, 2012 6:27pm EDT | Updated November 20, 2014 6:30pm EST

A sports series is the most-watched prime-time show for an entire television season for the first time.

The NFL said Thursday that "Sunday Night Football" averaged the most viewers for the 2011-12 season. The games on NBC averaged 20.9 million viewers during the official TV season to beat out "American Idol," which drew a smaller audience than last year.