NFL preseason viewership continues to rebound from last year’s Olympic-suppressed numbers.
Week 1 of the NFL preseason averaged 1.6 million viewers on NFL Network, up 10% from last year, when games aired on both NFLN and ESPN (1.5M), but down 8% from 2015 on NFLN alone (1.8M). Averages do not include the Hall of Fame Game, which is not considered part of the Week 1 slate.
It is too early to tell whether the rebound signals a recovery in NFL ratings after last year’s lull. Last year’s preseason games faced competition from the Olympics and, as one would expect, set a low bar.
Steelers-Giants earned the largest audience of Week 1, scoring a 1.1 rating (+57%) and 1.9 million viewers (+60%) on NFLN Friday night. The joined-in-progress 49ers-Chiefs game that followed had a 0.9 (+50%) and 1.4 million (+50%).
On Saturday, Cowboys-Rams and a 1.1 and 1.7 million — down 45% in ratings and 46% in viewership from the same matchup in a similar window last year, which aired on ESPN (2.0, 3.2M). Compared to NFLN’s comparable game last year, Seahawks-Chiefs in a late afternoon window, ratings increased 57% from 0.7 and viewership 84% from 941,000.
Rounding out the weekend, Seahawks-Chargers had a 1.1 and 1.8 million Sunday night — up 22% in ratings and 27% in viewership from Texans-49ers last year (0.9, 1.4M). Lions-Colts drew a 0.8 and 1.3 million earlier in the day, down 38% and 31% respectively from Colts-Eagles in 2015 (1.3, 1.9M). There was no comparable window last year.
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 8.15]
