The NFL has kicked off football season with a record-breaking average audience of 21 million viewers per game in its opening week, making it the most-watched premiere week in the league’s history.
NFL Media wrote on X that in Week 1, there was a “total audience of 123.0 million viewers,” which it said was the “highest Week 1 total audience since 2019,” with an average of 21 million viewers for both TV and digital per game, making it the “most watched Week 1 on record.”
On Thursday, Sept. 5, the Baltimore Ravens lost 27–20 to the Kansas City Chiefs. On Friday, Sept. 6, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 34–29 in a game played in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Thursday’s game aired on NBC and averaged 29.9 million viewers on both TV and digital, making it the second-most-watched game on NBC in the regular season since 2006.
The Detroit Lions’ 26–20 defeat of the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night garnered an audience of 22.7 million, a 3 percent increase from 2023.
The Dallas Cowboys’ 33–17 win over the Cleveland Browns brought in an audience of 23.93 million on Fox, which was the first game in which former NFL quarterback Tom Brady hosted as a top analyst.
Fox’s four afternoon games—the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans vs. Chicago Bears, the Carolina Panthers vs. the New Orleans Saints, and the Minnesota Vikings vs. the New York Giants—in addition to its two evening games, launched Fox’s most successful doubleheader since 2020, averaging 18.64 million viewers.
“A great start with the viewership,” said NFL Media Executive Vice President Hans Schroeder. “It was great to be back and a lot to be excited about.”
CBS had its most-watched opening week singleheader since 1998 at 17.79 million.
Philadelphia’s win over Green Bay was the first NFL game to be played in South America and was also the first time a Week 1 NFL game had aired on a Friday since 1954.
The game averaged 14 million viewers on NBC’s streaming digital platform Peacock and NBC affiliates in Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Milwaukee.
“I think the numbers even exceeded our expectations,” Schroeder said. “Brazil was great and the game was an exciting one. On a new night and window, I think that was a phenomenal start for us.”
