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3w ago

NFL Regular Season Averages 18.7 Million Viewers, Best Since 1989

Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel with broader out-of-home counting helped lift reported audiences, complicating direct year-over-year comparisons.

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The NFL shield logo on the field at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Overview

  • The per-game average rose 10% from 2024 to 18.7 million, the league’s second-highest season mark on record behind 1989.
  • CBS led regular-season packages with a record 21.25 million average, and its late Sunday window averaged 25.83 million for a third straight year.
  • NBC’s Sunday Night Football averaged 23.5 million on a Total Audience basis and is on track to finish as primetime’s No. 1 show for the 15th consecutive season.
  • Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football averaged 15.33 million, up 16% year over year, while Fox averaged 19.63 million (best since 2015) and ESPN/ABC’s slate averaged 15.8 million, or 16.5 million including Week 18 games.
  • Chiefs–Cowboys on Thanksgiving drew 57.23 million viewers, the most-watched regular-season game ever, and Seahawks–49ers reached 27.5 million for the most-watched Week 18 game as the playoffs now begin.