NFL Sets New Record with 21 Million Average Viewers per Game in Opening Week

The NFL’s opening week saw a surge in viewership, with an average of 21.0 million viewers per game, marking the most-watched Week 1 on record. A total of 123 million people watched at least part of one game, the highest total for an opening week since 2019. NBC had the most-watched game, with the Kansas City vs. Baltimore matchup averaging 29.2 million viewers. Fox also had success with Tom Brady’s debut as a top analyst, averaging 23.93 million viewers for the Dallas vs. Cleveland game. CBS enjoyed its most-watched Week 1 since reacquiring NFL rights in 1998. The NFL also saw success with its first Friday night Week 1 game in 54 years, with the Philadelphia vs. Green Bay matchup averaging 14.0 million viewers on Peacock and NBC affiliates. “Monday Night Football” on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+ averaged 20.4 million for San Francisco’s win over the New York Jets. Despite some challenges, such as DirecTV customers not being able to access the game due to a carriage dispute with Disney, the NFL’s viewership numbers exceeded expectations. Hans Schroeder, the executive vice president of NFL Media, expressed excitement over the strong start to the season, with viewers tuning in to witness thrilling matchups across various platforms.

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