NFL Sets Record with 21 Million Viewers per Game for Week 1

NFL Week 1 ratings/ record NFL viewership/ NFL opening week audience/ Newslooks/ LOS ANGELES/ The NFL’s opening week saw record-breaking viewership, averaging 21 million viewers per game, a 12% increase from last year. NBC’s coverage of Kansas City’s win over Baltimore was the most-watched, drawing 29.2 million viewers. This marks the highest viewership for Week 1 since 1988.

NFL’s Record Viewership: Quick Looks

• Record Numbers: The NFL averaged 21 million viewers per game, the most-watched Week 1 in history.
• NBC’s Top Game: Kansas City’s win over Baltimore drew 29.2 million viewers, the highest of the week.
• Fox’s Strong Start: Fox averaged 23.93 million for Tom Brady’s debut as an analyst.
• CBS Milestone: CBS posted its best Week 1 ratings since 1998 with 17.79 million viewers.
• New Time Slots: Philadelphia’s Friday night game on Peacock drew 14 million viewers, the second-highest live event in the platform’s history.

NFL Sets Record with 21 Million Viewers per Game for Week 1

Deep Look

The NFL kicked off its 2024 season in record-breaking fashion, with an average of 21 million viewers per game during Week 1, according to data released by Nielsen on Wednesday. This marked a 12% increase from the previous year, making it the highest Week 1 viewership on record since Nielsen began tracking data electronically in 1988. In total, 123 million viewers tuned in for at least part of a game, the largest opening week audience since 2019.

Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, expressed excitement over the strong start, saying, “It was great to be back and a lot to be excited about.”

NBC’s Thursday night season opener, featuring defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Baltimore Ravens 27-20, topped the charts as the most-watched game of the week. The game attracted 29.2 million viewers across television and digital platforms, making it NBC’s second-highest regular season game since acquiring the “Sunday Night Football” package in 2006. NBC also saw strong ratings for its Sunday night game, with Detroit’s overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams drawing 22.7 million viewers, up 3% from last year.

Fox’s Week 1 coverage also got off to a strong start, driven by Tom Brady’s highly anticipated debut as a game analyst. Brady’s commentary during the Dallas Cowboys’ 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns helped the network average 23.93 million viewers for the game, which was part of Fox’s doubleheader. The six games in Fox’s doubleheader averaged 18.64 million viewers, marking the network’s best start since 2020. This year, Fox held exclusive rights to the Sunday afternoon doubleheader for the first time since 2020, having shared the window with CBS for the past three seasons.

CBS also reported significant viewership gains, averaging 17.79 million viewers for its Week 1 coverage, its highest since it reacquired NFL broadcasting rights in 1998. Most of CBS’s broadcasts aired in the early 1 p.m. EDT time slot, but several major markets, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Pittsburgh, tuned in later for the 4:05 p.m. game featuring Jim Harbaugh’s debut as the Los Angeles Chargers’ head coach against the Las Vegas Raiders.

In a unique addition to the Week 1 schedule, Philadelphia’s 34-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers was broadcast on Friday night, marking the NFL’s first Friday night Week 1 game in 54 years. The game drew 14 million viewers across Peacock and NBC affiliates in Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Milwaukee. This made it the second-most-watched live event in Peacock’s history, following last year’s AFC wild card game between Kansas City and Miami.

“The numbers exceeded our expectations,” Schroeder said, particularly noting the success of the Friday night game, which aired in a new time slot. “On a new night and window, that was a phenomenal start for us.”

Meanwhile, ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” telecast, which included coverage on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+, averaged 20.4 million viewers for the San Francisco 49ers’ 32-19 win over the New York Jets. However, the total was down from last year’s opener, which attracted 22.7 million viewers. One factor contributing to the slight decline was a carriage dispute between Disney and DirecTV, which prevented many DirecTV subscribers from watching the game on ESPN or ABC. Only those in regions where ABC affiliates were not owned by Disney, including New York and San Francisco, were able to view the game through their local channels.

Despite the minor drop in “Monday Night Football” viewership, the NFL’s Week 1 ratings demonstrate the league’s continued dominance in live sports broadcasting, with record-setting numbers and an enthusiastic fanbase tuning in across multiple platforms. As the season progresses, the NFL will look to maintain this momentum, with more marquee matchups ahead and star players like Tom Brady adding to the anticipation.

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