NFL TV Ratings: Cowboys-49ers were a ratings bonanza for NBC

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Oct 16, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; A general view of the NFL shield logo on the field after the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Cincinnati Bengals at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

NFL TV ratings, a look forward: The 2023 NFL season is officially here, and we have our first set of notes for NFL TV ratings early on in the campaign.

Below, we look at NFL TV ratings from the 2021 and 2022 seasons with continual updates regarding how things are going during the ongoing 2023 season.

Related: NFL games today

Bookmark this page for NFL TV ratings for information on the 2023 season and moving forward.

NFL TV ratings by year

Which NFL team has the highest TV ratings?

The Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Green Bay Packers have the highest NFL TV ratings among all 32 teams. This is why you’ll often see the Cowboys, Giants and Packers playing so many primetime games.

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Here are the NFL TV ratings from the regular season, playoffs and Super Bowl LVII along with the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.

NFL TV ratings for Week 5: Cowboys-49ers game draws record number

San Francisco’s blowout Week 5 win over Dallas (42-10) on Sunday Night Football was a ratings bonanza on NBC. The network announced that it drew an average of 26.1 million viewers, making this the most-watched Week 5 Sunday Night Football Game in history.

The game peacked at 29.6 million viewers in the second quarter. Despite the blowout nature of the game, these two teams are among the biggest brands in the NFL. It shouldn’t be a surprise that they drew such large TV ratings.

Week 4 NFL TV viewership and Taylor Swift

Whatever you think about the hyperfocus on the potential relationship between Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, there is one thing clear after two weeks. The Swifties and the sensationalism surrounding Kelce’s off-field life are great for business.

The Sunday Night Football game between the Kansas City Chiefs vs New York Jets on NBC averaged 27 million viewers, making it the most-watched TV show on Sunday since Super Bowl LVIII. Viewership peaked at 29.4 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched NFL games in years. Importantly for advertisers,

Viewership of SNF among teen girls (12-17 years old) spiked by 53 percent compared to its usual averages, while the audience size of women aged 18-24 increased by 24 percent. NBC seeing huge boosts in the 18-45 demographic means higher fees to charge advertisers.

As for the other NFL games in Week 4, Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football game between the Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers received a 6.3 rating and averaged 13.48 million viewers, making it the third-largest audience ever for Amazon’s TNF product.

NFL TV ratings for Week 3

While Amazon’s Week 3 Thursday Night Football broadcast didn’t match its numbers from last week, the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers provided the NFL and Amazon Prime with plenty to feel good about.

According to SportsMediaWatch, Thursday’s Giants vs 49ers game averaged a 6.5 rating with 13.92 million average viewers tuning in for the streamed broadcast. For comparison, the Week 3 TNF game in 2022 (Steelers vs Browns) posted a 5.4 rating and averaged 11.03 million viewers.

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It’s another sign that NFL TV ratings are climbing this year, something the league is happy to see after a slight dip from 2021 to ’22. Given the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers will kick off Week 4 on Amazon, we anticipate the game will generate 14 million viewers.

As for the remainder of the NFL Week 3 slate, it’s safe to say business is booming for the league and its TV partners. For the third consecutive week and closing out September, NFL television ratings are exploding.

CBS reported that NFL on CBS has scored its highest September ratings in 13 years, averaging 18.698 million viewers per broadcast. It was led by phenomenal numbers for the New England Patriots vs New Yor Jets game, which generated the network’s highest ratings for a singleheader in 12 years and was up 19% from the same slot in 2022.

Meanwhile, Paramount+ had its most-streamed NFL singhleheader ever in Week 3 and closed September with its strongest month.

NFL TV ratings Week 2

The NFL knew when it moves Thursday Night Football games off cable that it would lose several million viewers per week. However, Amazon provided the league with $1 billion per season for the rights to TNF broadcasts. In the first NFL game on Amazon in 2023, records were set.

According to Sports Media Watch, Amazon Prime Video averaged a stellar 7.1 rating with 15.05 million viewers during its season premiere. It’s the most-watched NFL game on Amazon Prime and marks the most-watched TNF premiere since 2016.

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Meanwhile, CBS enjoyed its highest NFL TV ratings since the Super Bowl. Even with Aaron Rodgers sidelined, the New York Jets vs Dallas Cowboys game averaged 25.78 million viewers. It’s the second-most watched NFL game in Week 2 on CBS in the last 10 years.

There was similar success on CBS for the Kansas City Chiefs vs Jacksonville Jaguars game, helping the network finish with one of its largest audience sizes during the NFL season in years. Based on the early numbers, NFL TV ratings will be even higher than last season.

Aaron Rodgers debut (and injury) creates record NFL TV ratings

An average of 22.62 million viewers tuned in to watch Aaron Rodgers make his New York Jets debut on Monday Night Football Week 1. It’s the highest-rated MNF Game since ESPN took over the package. Unfortunately, Rodgers went down with a season-ending torn Achilles four plays in.

Looking at this from an historical perspective, a Packers-Vikings game from back in 20019 drew 21.8 million viewers. While Monday’s game was also aired on ABC, the latter found itself broadcasted on only ESPN.

Season opener provides huge NFL TV ratings

The Detroit Lions upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night to open the 2023 season was a ratings bonanza. The game drew 26.8 million viewers on NBC, per Nielsen. The broadcast peaked at 29.1 million.

The TV-only audience increased from 20% in comparison to last season’s season opener between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams. The streaming audience soared by 60%. It represents the second-largest audience for an NBC opener in history.

2023 Hall of Fame Game TV ratings

While the most-watched NFL games in 2023 will be regular-season matchups, the excitement for preseason football is very real. The 2023 Hall of Fame Game between the New York Jets vs Cleveland Browns drew a massive audience, one of the largest in years for the NFL.

NBC announced that it averaged 6.3 million viewers for the Hall of Fame Game this year. It’s the most-watched broadcast of the annual Hall of Fame Game since 2018. Coming off a year of record-breaking revenue for the NFL, the 2023 season is looking even more promising.

Super Bowl draws 113 million viewers

According to Fox Sports, the 113 million that tuned in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles was the most-watched Super Bowl in six years. The broadcast network also notes that it is the third most-watched television broadcast in history.

The all-time record was Super Bowl XLIX with 114.4 million back in January of 2015. The second most-watched was Super Bowl XLVII between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos in February of 2014.

Of the 30 most-watched television broadcasts of all-time in the United States, 29 have been Super Bowls. The only exception was the series finale of M.A.S.H. back in 1983.

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NFL Pro Bowl ratings

After hearing complaints about the Pro Bowl for years, the NFL dramatically changed how it holds its version of the All-Star Game. Out went to the traditional game between the AFC vs NFC and in came three flag football games plus individual skills challenges.

While the change itself generated mostly positive feedback from those in attendance, it didn’t seem to help the NFL TV ratings. Broadcasted on ESPN and ABC, the Pro Bowl games averaged 6.28 million viewers for a 6% drop from the ratings for the 2022 Pro Bowl.

NFL Playoff television ratings

After a strong finish to the regular season, the presence of marquee teams and legendary quarterbacks in the NFL Playoffs have provided a boost for viewership. In advance of Super Bowl LVII, here are the NFL TV ratings from the postseason. These are the highest NFL TV ratings on Championship Sunday in nine years.

Conference Championship Sunday

CBS announced that its AFC Championship Game broadcast peaked at 60 million viewers on Sunday, making it the most-watched TV program on any network since Super Bowl LVII. Furthermore, CBS led all networks with an average of 40.798 million viewers during the playoffs.

As for FOX’s NFC Championship Game, the Philadelphia Eagles vs San Francisco 49ers broadcast peaked at 52.3 million viewers and this was the most-watched Conference Championship Game in 2023.

NFL Divisional Round

FOX’s Cowboys vs 49ers game was the second-biggest audience ever for a Divisional Round broadcast.

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Wild Card Weekend

NFL TV ratings 2022

Here are the NFL’s television ratings from the 2022 regular season, focusing on total viewership from Weeks 1-18, along with the average audience size and the most watched games.

Most watches TV shows in 2022

The NFL TV ratings during the regular season once again prove that football is the most popular thing on television. According to data obtained by Mike Jurecki, 88 of the top 100 shows on TV in 2022 were NFL games.

Most watched NFL games in 2022

  1. New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys, Week 12, FOX – 42.1 million viewers
  2. Buffalo Bills vs Detroit Lions, Week 12, CBS – 31.9 million viewers
  3. Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants, Week 10, FOX – 29.2 million viewers
  4. Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys, Week 16, FOX – 27.8 million viewers
  5. Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants, Week 11, CBS – 27.7 million viewers

It comes as no surprise that the highest NFL TV ratings in 2022 came when the Dallas Cowboys are playing. Whether football fans love them or hate them, the Cowboys generate attention and they will be a focus of nationally-televised games in 2023.

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NFL Christmas ratings

The NBA owned Christmas for many years, with many effectively viewing NBA games on Christmas Day as the unofficial start of each basketball season. With Christmas Eve on Saturday and Christmas Day on Sunday in Week 16, the NFL TV ratings proved once again no other American sport touches pro football.

GameNetworkAverage Viewers
Philadephia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys (Dec. 24)FOX27.83 million
Las Vegas Raiders vs Pittsburgh SteelersNFL Network10.94 million
Green Bay Packers vs Miami Dolphins (Dec. 25)FOX25.9 million
Los Angeles Rams vs Denver BroncosCBS & Nickelodeon22.57 million
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Arizona CardinalsNBC17.1 million
Los Angeles Chargers vs Indianapolis ColtsESPN10.94 million
NBA Christmas Day games (5 games)ESPN/ABC4.27 million

It’s striking but unsurprising that even NFL Network pulled in more than double the best NBA TV ratings for ESPN. Speaking of ESPN, per Sports Media Watch, the Monday Night Football ratings made it the least-watched MNF game in Week 16 since 2018. As for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, it drew its smallest audience in terms of average NFL TV ratings in three years for a Week 16 game.

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NFL TV ratings on Thanksgiving

The NFL has owned Thanksgiving for years, becoming part of the tradition for families on Thursday. With an unusually strong slate of games, the NFL TV ratings on Thanksgiving provided even stronger returns than some might have expected.

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NFL vs World Series ratings

Week 8 and Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season have lined up with the World Series between the Houston Astros vs Philadelphia Phillies. Unsurprisingly, the NFL TV ratings are easily outpacing anything Major League Baseball is generating in terms of viewership.

In comparison, many of the World Series games on FOX have struggled to match or top regular-season NFL games.

NFL TV Ratings Week 7 – Thursday Night Football takes a hit

Amazon is paying $1.1 billion per season for the next 10 years to exclusively broadcast Thursday Night Football. After a strong start for the network to open the 2022 NFL season, things are steadily trending down. As reported by Sports Media Watch, the Week 7 TNF clash between the New Orleans Saints vs Arizona Cardinals averaged just 7.82 million viewers for Amazon Prime. It’s the third consecutive week that the NFL TV ratings for TNF have been at a season-low.

Notably, Amazon is still excited about its partnership with the NFL. It was recently announced that in 2023, Amazon Prime will have a game on Black Friday after the three games on Thanksgiving. It’s a brilliant move by Amazon, keeping football fans at home to buy things via Amazon Prime instead of going out to the store.

2022 NFL preseason draws a higher audience than marquee NBA, MLB games

Before the 2022 NFL regular season begins, the league already has a few reasons to feel good about what is coming this fall. At a time when pulling in massive audiences is more important than ever and the league explores ways to further increase its revenue, an early look at NFL TV ratings from the preseason show why this remains the No. 1 sport in the United States.

CBS announced that its broadcast of the Week 3 preseason game between the Detroit Lions vs Pittsburgh Steelers was the most-watched NFL preseason game in the NFL this year and its most-watched exhibition NFL game in 9 years.

Putting the 5.81 million viewers into perspective, take a look at how NBA games on Christmas Day 2021 performed. The Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks averaged 2.924 million with the Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks averaging 4.933 million and the evening Los Angeles Lakers vs Brooklyn Nets matchup drew 5.75 million viewers.

We can also compare that to MLB, which drew just under 3.2 million viewers for its Field of Dreams game on Fox. As Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated also points out, a Saturday preseason game between the Steelers and Seattle Seahawks broadcasted on NFL Network pulled in a larger audience than Fox’s broadcast of the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees.

NFL TV ratings for Hall of Fame Game

Football officially returned on August 4 with Canton, Ohio hosting the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars. On a night when stars quarterback Derek Carr, wide receiver Davante Adams and quarterback Trevor Lawrence were ruled out days before kickoff, the broadcast still performed fairly well.

According to Sports Media Watch, the broadcast on NBC averaged 5.48 million viewers with a total of 5.7 million when Including streaming services not accounted for by Nielsen. It is the second-least watched Hall of Fame Game in a decade, but there’s a reason for it.

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The matchup last year between the Dallas Cowboys vs Pittsburgh Steelers pulled in a much larger audience (seven million viewers) because it featured two of the most popular NFL teams. It’s also worth considering that the 2022 Hall of Fame induction doesn’t include any all-time greats with massive name appeal.

All things considered, the NFL and NBC will still be pleased to open the 2022 season with a broadcast for a preseason game featuring backups and fringe NFL roster candidates averaging 5.8 million viewers. The NFL TV ratings should climb nicely during the regular season.

NFL generates massive revenue through TV ratings

The NFL signed TV rights contracts worth more than $100 billion before the 2021 season and everyone is quickly cashing in. We saw NFL TV ratings in 2021 climb, with the league’s broadcasting partners and advertisers very happy with the returns. It’s just part of the reason the NFL generated record-setting national revenue this past year.

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NFL TV ratings also have an impact on other things related to league operations. The Denver Broncos sold for a record $4.65 billion this year, in large part because billionaires recognize this is the most popular sport in America and it’s a business that keeps generating record-setting profits each year.

Players will also benefit from this. NFL teams anticipate the salary cap seeing nearly $20 million per season in the years ahead. Of course, that money will be passed on to those competing on the field and that’s why you see contracts for the highest paid NFL players skyrocketing.

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NFL TV ratings take hit with 2022 draft

While NFL TV ratings increased during the 2021 season, the league didn’t see that upward trajectory continue with the 2022 NFL Draft. Held in Las Vegas and viewed as a great event for those in attendance, it wasn’t nearly as big of a hit for everyone at home.

Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft averaged 10.03 million viewers with a 5.6 rating. In comparison, the 2021 NFL Draft averaged 12.5 million viewers and the virtual 2020 NFL Draft averaged 15.3 million viewers. Things didn’t get much better the next day.

According to Sports Media Watch, viewership for Day 2 of the NFL Draft sat at 5.03 million with a 3.0 rating. It marked the smallest audience for Rounds 2-3 since the 2018 NFL Draft (4.79 million). If the league is looking for positives, Day 3 on Saturday averaged 2.78 million viewers and that is an improvement over previous years.

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Super Bowl LVI draws 112 million viewers

The NFL released its numbers for Super Bowl LVI between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams. In doing so, the league announced that it was the second most-watched Super Bowl in league history with 112.3 million viewers tuning in throughout the NBC broadcast and on streaming services.

101.1 million television viewers tuned in on NBC and Telemundo. Meanwhile, the game drew a record streaming audience of 11.2 million through Peacock and other streaming services.

It’s important to put these numbers into perspective. The past 11 World Series games drew a combined 105 million viewers. The past 12 NBA Finals games have seen a total of 106 million viewers tune in on television and through streaming services. Yeah, the NFL still tops the sports world in terms of popularity. It’s not close.

How many people watched the NFL Pro Bowl?

The NFL is trying things every year to try and make the Pro Bowl a little more exciting and competitive. Once again, any changes made didn’t deliver. On the penultimate NFL Sunday of the 2021 season, the Pro Bowl delivered its worst ratings in 16 years.

The 2022 NFL Pro Bowl averaged 6.69 million viewers across ABC, ESPN and DisneyXD. It’s the lowest average viewership for the game since 2006, when ESPN pulled in 5.96 million viewers. In comparison to the 2019 Pro Bowl, viewership dropped 17% (8.05 million).

Competing against the Winter Olympics certainly didn’t help. But it’s evident fans just aren’t interested in watching an exhibition game with players understandably giving zero effort. More changes will come, but it’s unlikely any of it makes a difference.

NFL TV ratings: AFC, NFC Championship Games draw huge audiences

Even on a Championship Sunday without Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and even the Dallas Cowboys, the NFL TV ratings from the conference championship matchups exploded. Combined, the two games averaged 49.6 million viewers across TV and digital streaming, according to an NFL announcement. It’s the second-most watched Championship Sunday since 2015 and both broadcasts are the most-watched programs since Super Bowl LV.

The entire NFL Playoffs have been a huge draw, averaging 36.3 million viewers. It’s the second-largest audience for the National Football League since 2015.

NFL playoff ratings: Divisional Round games average 37.1 million viewers

As if a memorable weekend of playoff football couldn’t get any better for the NFL, it did following the release of TV ratings. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the NFL’s four divisional round matchups averaged 37.1 million viewers.

As Pro Football Talk notes, those numbers are all steep improvements from the 2021 NFL playoffs. The Saturday night game increased 41% from last year, the Sunday night game rose 20% and the Saturday afternoon game increased 16%.

With Patrick Mahomes headed to the AFC Championship Game and a Rams vs 49ers matchup in the NFC title bout, ratings will likely be through the roof.

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NFL TV ratings: Wild Card Weekend offers ratings bonanza for the league

The numbers were eye-opening during the opening week of playoff football as the NFL went with its first three-day weekend of Wild Card action.

That included the San Francisco 49ers’ thrilling road win over the Dallas Cowboys being the most-watched NFL Wild Card Game since 2015. The game did 41.5 million viewers across CBS and Nickelodeon. Said game peaked at 50.23 million viewers toward the end.

Overlall Wild Card Weekend was an absolute win for the NFL from a ratings perspective.

The six games averaged 30.5 million viewers, an increase of 21% from the 2020-21 NFL Wild Card Weekend and the most-watched first weekend of postseason football since 2015-16.

Week 16 NFL TV ratings

Christmas Day pulls in monster viewership for NFL

Christmas Day delivered a special treat for the NFL and its broadcasting partners. An evening broadcast of the Cleveland Browns vs. Green Bay Packers clash at Lambeau Field averaged 28.59 million viewers. For comparison, $20.1 million watched the Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints game in the same time slot last Christmas.

A late matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals also did well. Exclusively broadcasted on NFLF Network and its streaming services, the Colts-Cardinals broadcast averaged 12.62 million viewers. It is the second-most-watched NFL Network broadcast since Christmas Day 2016.

NFL TV ratings: Week 15 pulls in more strong numbers, despite postponements

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced many postponed games in 2020 and cost the NFL billions in revenue, outbreaks across the league aren’t having the same impact in 2021. While three games were postponed to later dates in the Week 15 schedule, the NFL still finished with strong ratings.

NFL television ratings for Week 14

NFL Week 13 TV ratings

Week 12 NFL ratings: Thanksgiving brings huge numbers

Unsurprisingly, the best NFL television ratings of the year came with millions of people sitting down on Thanksgiving to watch football. Here are the full viewership numbers for Week 12.

Week 9 NFL TV ratings

Despite a potential Aaron Rodgers vs. Patrick Mahomes matchup being wiped out by COVID-19, more than 20 million tuned in to watch Jordan Love make his first NFL start. It was an ugly game, but the intrigue and the close score kept an audience around. The FOX broadcast finished with a 12.6 rating, one of its best numbers of the year, and it averaged a whopping 24.37 million viewers.

Here are the full ratings and viewership numbers for the primetime games in Week 9.

NFL television ratings for Week 8

Below are the ratings and average audience size for the nationally-broadcasted NFL games in Week 8, via SportsMediaWatch.

ESPN, Manningcast close out the week with solid Monday Night Football audience

The Manningcast returned after a brief hiatus and the level of fan interest was greater than ever. According to SportsTVRatings, ESPN averaged 11.189 million viewers for its primary Monday night broadcast of the New Orleans Saints vs Seattle Seahawks contest.

The simulcast featuring Peyton and Eli Manning, broadcasted on ESPN2 and ESPN+, averaged 1.606 million viewers. It’s a slight dip from the 1.89 million that ESPN2 pulled in Week 3 (1.89 million), but greater than what ESPN2 would bring in on a normal night.

The ratings from the Week 7 broadcast are down, but that can be attributed to the matchup. Seattle played without Russell Wilson and the Saints’ offense isn’t what it used to be with Drew Brees retired. The Manningcast will be back for NFL Week 8, with the New York Giants facing the Kansas City Chiefs.

Week 7 NFL TV ratings

Here are the NFL television ratings from the Week 7 primetime games, via SportsMediaWatch.

NFL TV ratings for Week 6: Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Football

The 2021 NFL season continues to pull in excellent numbers, even when the matchups aren’t ideal from a fan-interest perspective. On NBC in Week 6, the SNF broadcast averaged `6.28 million viewers with a 9.0 rating. While it was a dip from the Bills-Chiefs Week 5 game, that is partially due to the absence of Russell Wilson.

On Monday night, ESPN’s broadcast and stream pulled in 12.52 million viewers (SportsMediaWatch). It represented an 11% spike from a Cardinals-Cowboys clash during the same week in 2020, though it was a dip from numbers seen in 2019.

For Week 7, the Manningcast will return to ESPN2 and ESPN+, with Peyton and Eli Manning hosting the simulcast for the New Orleans Saints vs Seattle Seahawks matchup.

AFC Championship rematch draws strong numbers for Sunday Night Football

A rematch of the AFC Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs delivered more strong NFL TV ratings for the league and NBC.

Despite Buffalo and Kansas City not being huge markets, the early numbers for the Week 5 “Sunday Night Football” clash saw an average of 16.78 million viewers with a primetime rating of 4.8 among the 18-49 demo.

It’s a steep fall from the historic pull generated by Tom Brady’s return to Gillette Stadium, but NBC and the NFL continue to dominate whenever games are broadcasted. These are also the early numbers from non-adjusted affiliates, so the ratings will change when everything is finalized.

NFL television ratings climbing through first quarter of 2021 season

After seeing its viewership drop during the 2020 season, the National Football League is faring much better this fall. Since the regular season began, ratings and viewership are skyrocketing across all major networks entering Week 5.

NFL Media announced that its nationally-broadcasted games are averaging 17.3 million viewers per game (TV and digital), a 17% increase from the 2020 season. Better yet, the 21 most-watched shows on TV since September 9 have all been NFL games.

Week 4 proved to be especially strong for the league. 22.3 million tuned in on CBS to watch the Green Bay Packers battle the Pittsburgh Steelers. A few hours later, Tom Brady’s return to Gillette Stadium pulled in 26.7 million viewers for NBC. Week 4 concluded with ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast, which averaged 12.6 million (Sports Media Watch) to watch the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. It was the most-watched Week 4 MNF game since 2018.

NBC draws huge NFL TV ratings for Buccaneers-Patriots tilt

It was the most-anticipated game of the young NFL season with Tom Brady bringing his Tampa Bay Buccaneers into Gillette to take on his former New England Patriots squad. So many storylines. So much interest.

In what can’t be considered too much of a surprise, this led to historical ratings for NBC’s broadcast of the Week 4 “Sunday Night Football” tilt. According to Deadline, Tampa Bay’s narrow win drew 28.5 million viewers, making it the second most-watched Sunday Night Football” game ever. The most-watched Sunday prime-time game was when the Washington Football Team and Dallas Cowboys battled for the NFC East title in Week 17 of the 2012 campaign. That game drew 30.3 million viewers.

NBC draws 20-plus million for Green Bay Packers vs San Francisco 49ers

The Week 3 Sunday Night Football clash between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers will go down as one of the best NFL games in 2021. Unsurprisingly, it created ratings gold for NBC and the NFL once again.

NBC announced its Sunday Night Football Week 3 broadcast averaged 21.1 million viewers across NBC TV, Peacock, and the NBC and NFL digital platforms. It marks a 14% increase from the total viewership from last year’s Week 3 game.

Best of all for the network, it was the most-watched Week 3 game since 2015 and marked the third consecutive week NBC drew 20-plus million viewers on Sunday night.

Looking ahead to Week 4, the first battle pitting Tom Brady against Bill Belichick could set an NFL TV ratings record in viewership for a regular-season game.

Kansas City Chiefs vs Baltimore Ravens Sunday Night Football classic crushes Emmy Awards

On a night when the NFL competed against the 2021 Emmy Awards, which ended a seven-year ratings slide, NBC’s Sunday Night Football came out on top for the television audience.

The Nielsen ratings from Sunday night, per Variety.com, revealed that the Week 2 clash between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs averaged 16.1 million viewers and received a 4.8 demo rating. By comparison, the Emmys drew 7.4 million viewers to CBS.

It’s another win for the NFL, which continues to see its TV ratings steadily climb this season. The Chiefs-Ravens game drew a 10% spike in viewership compared to the preliminary numbers for the SNF debut. With the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers set to face off on NBC in Week 3, it’s safe to project the audience size will be strong.

Thursday Night Football ratings explode in 2021 return

The 2021 debut of Thursday Night Football, a matchup between the New York Giants and Washington Football Team, likely delivered even better ratings than NFL Network hoped for in Week 2.

According to SportsMediaWatch, the Thursday Night Football opener averaged an estimated 7.33 million viewers on the NFL’s exclusive TV network. It was the largest season-opening audience for TNF since 2017, when 8.08 million people watched the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals.

For comparison, the 2020 TNF opener between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals averaged 6.68 million viewers. Of the three exclusive TNF broadcasts on NFL Network last season, only one exceeded 6 million viewers.

Monday Night Football ratings for Week 1 at eight-year high

The Las Vegas Raiders’ stunning and drama-filled win over the Baltimore Ravens represented the most-watched Week 1 Monday Night Football Game since all the way back in 2013. In total, 15.29 million viewers tuned in. Meanwhile, 800,000 watched the “ManningCast” on ESPN2 with brothers Eli and Peyton.

A lot of this could have had to do with the game itself. Baltimore opened up a 14-0 lead in the first half before the Raiders came storming back. It was their first regular-season game in Vegas with fans in attendance. The game also came to a culmination on this touchdown pass from Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in overtime.

NFL releases Week 1 ratings information

Here’s a breakdown of the numbers from the league itself.

Sunday Night Football ratings for Week 1

After NBC cashed in with a massive audience for the NFL Kickoff Game, its numbers dipped on Sunday Night Football. The Week 1 primetime clash between the Rams and Bears averaged 17.6 million viewers and finished with a 9.6 rating.

It’s a notable drop from the numbers last season. In 2020, the SNF opener between the Cowboys and Rams averaged 18.94 million viewers with a 10.4 rating. Also of note, just seven of NBC’s Sunday night broadcasts averaged 17-plus million viewers last season.

Cord-cutting might play one factor in the declining ratings across television. Cord-cutting has resulted in an estimated 12.82 million cable subscriptions since 2019, per MoffettNathanson, and it’s estimated 27 million households have cut since 2014.

Moving forward, the NFL may attempt to feature teams like the Cowboys, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers to aid ratings for the SNF opener.

Tampa Bay-Dallas NFL Kickoff Game TV ratings best in a half-decade

Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand reported that the Dallas-Tampa Bay 15.9 overnight rating was up 16% from 2020’s opener between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs. It was also a five-year high in overnights.

Ourand noted that the rating figure doesn’t include out-of-home viewing. In other words, it was a raging success. That’s what happens when you pit the GOAT QB in Brady against the NFL’s highest-paid player in 2021 in Prescott, who also happens to play for the most valuable sports franchise.

NFL continues to get good news to start the preseason

NFL Network’s broadcast of the Washington Football Team and New England Patriots game on Aug. 12 drew the highest TV ratings for a preseason game on the flagship station since all the way back in 2018. The matchup saw 1.75 million viewers tune in.

This is especially significant in that the preseason game went up directly against MLB’s Field of Dream Game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox, which also drew historical ratings from a television perspective.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was NFL ratings bonanza

A total of 7.31 million viewers tuned in to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ win over the Dallas Cowboys earlier in August, marking the highest-rated preseason broadcast since all the way back in 2017. There’s good reason for this. The entire 2020 preseason was canceled due to COVID-19 and fans were desperate for some football action.

To put this into perspective, the 2021 NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns drew an average of 9.91 million viewers (more on that later). This just goes to show us that the NFL is still America’s pastime.

2021 NFL Draft was the third-most watched ever

There wasn’t a ton of drama atop the 2021 draft with the Jacksonville Jaguars eyeing Trevor Lawrence at one and the New York Jets linked to BYU’s Zach Wilson with the second selection. However, intrigue when it came to the San Francisco 49ers trading up to No. 3 led to continued uptick in viewership with the annual event seeing its third-highest ratings ever.

“Per a league press release, the 2021 NFL Draft was seen by an average audience of 6.1 million viewers (TV and digital) across NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and digital channels during the three-day event, making it the third most-watched draft ever,” NFL Media noted. “The three most-watched drafts in NFL history have occurred in the last three years: 2019 (6.2 million), 2020 (8.3 million), 2021 (6.1 million).”

Continued interest in the NFL Draft is a great thing for the league. It started out as nothing more than a niche event for the most hardcore of fans. Now, it’s a three-day event that shows just how popular the NFL is compared to the other three major North American professional sports leagues. Don’t expect this to change in 2022 with the draft heading to Las Vegas.

Super Bowl LV in review: TV ratings

Perhaps, fans were not excited to see Tom Brady play in his 10th Super Bowl. There’s a good chance that the lack of parties due to the COVID-19 pandemic played a role, too. Either way, Super Bowl LV between the eventual champion Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs represented the worst ratings for the big game since all the way back in 1969.

According to Sports Media Watch, the game drew the lowest ratings for a championship bout in the league since Super Bowl III between the then-Baltimore Colts and New York Jets.

“It was just the seventh Super Bowl with less than a 40 rating, and the first since 1990 (49ers-Broncos: 39.0) — snapping a 30-year streak.”

That specific Super Bowl matchup saw Joe Montana and the 49ers defeat John Elway’s Denver Broncos by the score of 55-10, the biggest blowout in the history of the big game.

NFL TV ratings were a mixed back throughout the 2020 season. The pandemic coupled with an election year and political divisiveness around the United States played a major role in this. With the league struggling revenue-wise due to COVID-19, seeing one of the lowest-rated Super Bowls in NFL history can’t be seen as a great thing.

NFL ratings decline had networks scrambling in 2020

This site has focused on the up-and-down NFL TV ratings for the 2020 season. Not much of that had to to with networks and their relationships with sponsors as a decline became obvious around around the football world. Whether it’s the ongoing pandemic or something else, said decline forced networks to scramble and strengthen relationships with sponsors.

“TV networks are feeling the strains of disappointing NFL ratings, as they are forced to restructure deals with advertisers to make up for the smaller audience, and their opportunity to make money off remaining games during the lucrative holiday season narrows,” the Wall Street Journal reported this past weekend.

Those close to this situation called it “unheard of.” Some of the broadcast networks, such as CBS and Fox, even considered having advertisers pay less than what they had originally pledged to air ads during NFL games.

2020 in review: Monday Night Football ratings

Before the 2020 NFL season began, ESPN worked desperately to lure in a broadcasting crew that would entertain fans and increase viewership. After missing out on Tony Romo, Peyton Manning and even Sean McVay, ESPN settled on its backup plan.

Unfortunately for the network, in a year that saw the company lay off 300-plus employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NFL ratings took a major hit. Monday Night Football was already the lesser football package for NFL games and the decline in viewership didn’t help in 2020.

In comparison: 2021 NBA Finals and NFL TV ratings

The NBA and its players were the most active in calling for systemic change in the United States and supporting the Black Lives Matter message last year. This created somewhat of a split between those on either side of the political line.

What we do know is that the 2021 NBA Finals between the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks and upstart Phoenix Suns did not draw great ratings.

This comes after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 NBA Finals win over the Miami Heat drew a record low average of 7.45 million viewers in the Orlando Bubble.

In comparing to the NFL, there’s really no competition here.

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