RATINGS SHOW: AMERICA’S READY FOR FOOTBALL

The football season was ushered in with a roar Thursday night as a special edition of NBC’s Sunday Night Football, featuring the Green Bay Packers against the New Orleans Saints drew 24.5 million viewers (peaking in the 9:00 p.m. half hour with 27.6 million) and a 14.4 rating/23 share — more viewers than those tuning in to ABC, CBS and Fox combined. Nevertheless, the game fell 3 percent behind last year’s opener between the Saints and the Minnesota Vikings. Nevertheless, it was the second-best NFL season opener ever, behind only 2010. As expected the game drew its biggest audience in New Orleans, where it scored a 57.7 rating and a 75 share. In Milwaukee, it nabbed a 53.1/71, according to NBC.