Nineteen million viewers is not exactly nothing, but for the NFL, it represents the smallest opening night audience in a decade.
Thursday’s Falcons-Eagles NFL Kickoff Game earned an 11.2 rating and 19.0 million viewers on NBC, per Nielsen fast-nationals — down 11% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year (Chiefs-Patriots: 12.6, 21.8M) and down 23% and 25% respectively from 2016 (Panthers-Broncos: 14.6, 25.2M).
The Eagles’ win, which was delayed nearly an hour due to inclement weather, was the lowest rated and least-watched NFL Kickoff Game since 2008 (Giants-Washington: 8.6, 13.5M). The 2008 game was moved up to 7 PM ET to accommodate the late John McCain’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.
Overall, it was the third-lowest rated Kickoff Game ever (17 telecasts) ahead of 2008 and the inaugural 2002 game, which aired on ESPN (49ers-Giants: 7.6). It fared better in viewership, ranking as the sixth-least watched.
While the traditional television audience declined, the game’s streaming audience of 570,000 increased 61% from last year (335K) and set a record for the Sunday Night Football package. The combined TV and streaming audience of 19.5 million still marked a 12% decline from last year (22.2M) and a ten-year low.
Viewership peaked at 21.7 million from 9:30-9:45 PM ET, but due to the weather delay, that was only the first quarter.
The NFL Kickoff Game ranks as the most-watched sporting event since the Olympics, topping the previous mark of 18.5 million for Game 2 of the NBA Finals in June. For reference, the FIFA World Cup Final had 17.8 million, the NCAA men’s basketball championship 16.0 million, and the final round of The Masters had 13.0 million.
NFL Kickoff Ratings, Viewership
