The NFL averaged 18.7 million viewers per game during the regular season, the second-highest since audience averages began being kept in 1988.
The per-game average on TV and digital platforms was a 10% increase from last season’s 17.5 million and up 7% from 2023, according to the league and Nielsen. It also was just off the record average of 19 million, which was set in 1989.
Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in the way viewers are counted. Nielsen began using its Big Data + Panel methodology for all events last September with the start of the current television season.
Earlier this year, Nielsen began measuring out-of-home viewers for all states but Hawaii and Alaska, along with including data from smart TVs along with cable and satellite set-top boxes.
Nielsen previously measured only the top 44 media markets, which covered 65% of the country.
All five of the league’s weekly packages experienced viewer increases. Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football had the biggest gains at 16%. CBS also had a double-digit increase at 11%. ESPN/ABC’s Monday Night Football and NBC’s Sunday Night Football were both up 9% and Fox had a 6% jump.
This was the most-watched NFL package on Thursday nights since the league started it in 2006.
The 15.33 million average surpassed the 13.65 million from 2019, when the games were on Fox, NFL Network and Prime Video.
Since Prime Video started to be the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football in 2022, the audience has increased 60%. The first season averaged 9.58 million as audiences had to adjust to a regular package of games moving to a streaming service.
Eight games this season averaged at least 15 million viewers, compared to four the first three seasons.
The Denver Broncos’ win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas night averaged 21.06 million, breaking the network’s 19.39 million mark for most-watched from the Dec. 4 game between the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.
