The NFL scored impressive numbers in its return to Christmas Day.
Friday’s Vikings-Saints NFL Christmas game averaged a Nielsen-estimated 20.1 million viewers across FOX and NFL Network, up 19% from the league’s previous Christmas afternoon game in 2017, Steelers-Texans on NBC and NFL Network (16.92M), and the most-watched television program on Christmas since another NFL game in 2016 (Chiefs-Broncos: 21.41M).
The Saints’ win, in which Alvin Kamara ran for six touchdowns, delivered the fourth-largest NFL Christmas audience since the turn of the century (15 games).
As one would expect, the NFL easily topped the day’s featured NBA game, Mavericks-Lakers in primetime (6.9M). With the exception of 2009 and 2010, the NFL has been the most-watched sporting event on every Christmas it has played since at least 2000.
Vikings-Saints aired as part of the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package. It was the most-watched edition of TNF in more than two years, since Saints-Cowboys in Week 13 of the 2018 season (21.32M), and the seventh-most watched all-time.
In other Week 16 action, Saturday’s 49ers-Cardinals game averaged 4.8 million viewers on Amazon Prime — a record for the NFL on a digital platform. Including over-the-air simulcasts in the home markets, the game averaged 5.9 million.
Compared to the same Saturday afternoon window the previous week — Bills-Broncos on NFL Network — viewership increased slightly from 4.53 million. Compared to the same window in Week 16 last year — Bills-Patriots on NFL Network — viewership fell sharply from 9.60 million.
The remaining Week 16 numbers will be available Wednesday.
Most-watched “Thursday Night Football” games
[Nielsen estimates from Fox Sports, NFL PR 12.28]
