> At a Glance
> – The NFL averaged 18.7 million viewers per game this season, up 10% from last year
> – CBS scored the highest network average at 21.25 million, thanks partly to the 57.2 million Thanksgiving thriller
> – Prime Video’s Thursday package surged 60% since 2022, setting a new high of 15.33 million
> – Why it matters: The numbers show live sports are still king, driving huge ad dollars and keeping streaming platforms afloat
The NFL just delivered its strongest regular-season ratings since 1989, averaging 18.7 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, a leap that puts every major network-and Amazon’s streaming experiment-in the win column.
Viewership by the Numbers
The league’s 272-game slate posted a 10% jump over 2023’s 17.5 million average and edged 7% above 2022. A revised Nielsen panel that now counts out-of-home and smart-TV viewing nudged totals higher, but every one of the five weekly windows still grew without it.
Network scorecard
| Package | 2024 avg. | 1-year change | Since 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBS national late DH | 25.83M | n/a | 3rd straight win vs. FOX |
| NBC SNF (21 games) | 23.5M | +9% | Primetime leader 15 yrs running |
| FOX late DH | 25.28M | +6% | Best since 2015 |
| ESPN/ABC MNF | 15.8M | +9% | 2nd-best since 2006 |
| Prime TNF | 15.33M | +16% | Up 60% since 2022 exclusivity |
Stand-Out Games
- Thanksgiving, Chiefs-Cowboys (CBS): 57.2 million, most-watched regular-season game ever
- Thanksgiving night, Ravens-Bengals (NBC): 27.9 million
- Sept. 14 Eagles-Chiefs (FOX): 33.8 million in a Super Bowl rematch
- Dec. 25 Broncos-Chiefs (Prime): 21.06 million, best Christmas-night NFL stream
Streaming Lift
Beyond Prime’s TNF surge, league content boosted Peacock viewing 16% month-over-month in October and Paramount Plus 8%, per Nielsen.
Key Takeaways
- The NFL is pacing toward its best average since the 19 million mark set in 1989
- CBS owns the season’s single biggest audience and the top network average
- Prime Video proves a marquee sports property can thrive behind a paywall
- With Super Bowl LVIII on NBC, the network is set to crown the entire TV season
Live NFL action keeps defying fragmentation, drawing bigger crowds than anything else on television and anchoring billion-dollar rights deals for years to come.
