"Sunday Night Football," which has aired on NBC since 2006, has been ranked as the No. 1 primetime show the last 13 years in a row (2011-23). With an average viewership of 21.4 million last season, every SNF game has exceeded 20 million views so far in the 2024 season.
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A lot goes into the production of "Sunday Night Football," as play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico and color commentator Chris Collinsworth are heard throughout the games. Along with another voice that rings in the ears of viewers every Sunday, which is eight-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood, who sings one of the most popular opening intro theme songs in all of television.
Collinsworth (left); Underwood (middle); Tirico (right)
For over a decade, Americans have been able to listen to "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night," every SNF game. That is to say, recent reports have revealed how much money Underwood is earning for this performance, and it's more than you probably think, as the country star gets paid $18 million throughout the 18-week season.
This means the 41-year-old is making a whopping $1 million every week when the theme song comes on.
In view of the behind-the-scenes production, this takes place at Underwood's residency in the Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, and according to SNF Creative Director Tripp Dixon, it is quite the spectacle to watch live, calling it "show-stopping... with backstage and behind the scenes energy to set the tone for this special night."
"Shooting the new show open is always something I look forward to, and Tripp and the whole creative team brought it yet again, and we had a great day putting on an exciting new performance," Underwood shared in a statement ahead of Week 1's airing. "Like everybody else, I'm waiting all day for Sunday night!"
Last Sunday night Underwood's singing was heard later than usual, as the game was delayed almost 90 minutes, with thunderstorms moving through the Pittsburgh area causing the Steelers/Cowboys game to start at 9:45 pm ET.
The Week 6 Sunday Night Football Matchup will include the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the New York Giants on October 13 at 5:20 pm ET.
