Week 3 of the NFL season brought multi-year ratings highs to both FOX and ESPN/ABC.
Sunday’s NFL national window (mostly Packers-Buccaneers) averaged a 13.4 rating and 26.4 million viewers on FOX, marking the highest rated and most-watched Week 3 telecast in eight years (2014 Broncos-Seahawks: 15.8, 27.29M). Ratings increased 15% and viewership 14% from last year (mostly Buccaneers-Rams: 11.7, 23.16M).
The telecast ranks second for the season behind the previous week’s national window on CBS (mostly Cowboys-Bengals: 14.1, 27.39M).
Ranking second for Week 3, Monday Night Football (Cowboys-Giants) combined for a 10.7 and 19.34 million across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ — the highest rated Week 3 edition of MNF since 2010 (Packers-Bears: 10.8) and the most-watched since 2000 (Dallas-Washington: 19.43M). MNF has now hit a 22-year viewership high in two of three weeks this season.
Regardless of week, the Cowboys’ win delivered the fifth-largest regular season MNF audience since ESPN acquired the series in 2006.
Ratings jumped 32% and viewership 29% from Eagles-Cowboys last year (8.1, 15.0M), which did not have the benefit of an ABC simulcast. Broken out by network, the game averaged a 5.8 and 10.18 million on ABC, a 4.1 and 7.74 million on ESPN and a 0.8 and 1.43 million for the Peyton and Eli Manning-fronted “Manningcast” on ESPN2.
In a rarity, Monday Night Football was a bigger draw than NBC’s Sunday Night Football. 49ers-Broncos drew a 9.6 and 17.80 million on SNF (18.9 million including additional streaming data not tracked by Nielsen), down from Packers-49ers last year (10.8, ~19.7M).
On a linear TV basis, it was the least-watched Week 3 edition of SNF since 2017 (Oakland-Washington: 17.48M). For the season, SNF is averaging a streaming audience of 1.4 million viewers — up 32% from last year and the network’s best three-week average.
Returning to the afternoon windows, the first half of Sunday’s FOX doubleheader (mostly Ravens-Patriots, Raiders-Titans or Eagles-Commanders) averaged a 7.2 (+8%) and 13.80 million (+7%). The CBS singleheader (mostly Chiefs-Colts or Bills-Dolphins) drew a 7.7 (-3%) and 14.68 million.
As previously noted, the Amazon Prime Thursday night game (Steelers-Browns) averaged a 5.4 and 11.03 million — up double-digits from last year on NFL Network.
(Nielsen estimates from network PR, ShowBuzz Daily 9.27, Programming Insider 9.27)
