Featuring the Chiefs and Cowboys, albeit not against each other, the NFL national window delivered a strong audience on FOX.
Sunday’s NFL national window on FOX averaged a 12.0 rating and 24.32 million viewers, down 10% in ratings and 8% in viewership from last year, when coverage featured Aaron Rodgers and the Packers against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers (13.4, 26.40M). This year’s window featured Bears-Chiefs in two-thirds of markets, but nearly all of the country was switched to the more competitive Cowboys-Cardinals game in the second half.
Viewership trailed only last year as the highest for any Week 3 window since 2014. Keep in mind that out-of-home viewing was not included in Nielsen’s final nationals until 2020.
As is typical, the national window was the most-watched television program of the week.
Placing second, NBC averaged a 10.2 and 19.21 million for Steelers-Raiders on Sunday Night Football — up 6% in ratings and 8% in viewership from 49ers-Broncos a year ago (9.6, 17.80M).
Rounding out the Sunday slate, CBS averaged an 8.9 and 17.52 million for singleheader coverage featuring Patriots-Jets in a plurality of markets — up 16% and 19% respectively from last year (ft. Chiefs-Colts: 7.7, 14.68M). FOX drew a 6.5 (-10%) and 12.21 million (-12%) for the first half of its doubleheader, which featured Packers-Saints in three-fourths of markets.
Shifting to Monday Night Football, Eagles-Buccaneers averaged a 7.3 and 13.72 million on ABC and Rams-Bengals a 4.9 and 8.99 million on ESPN and ESPN2, with the games combining to average 21.91 million during the two hours in which they overlapped. The combined audience is the highest of the three split doubleheaders ESPN and ABC have carried the past two seasons, surpassing the previous week (21.76M) and Week 2 of last year (20.6M).
In a shift from those previous doubleheaders, ABC aired the early game and ESPN the late game. Compared to the prior week, the ABC game declined 13% in ratings and 11% in viewership (vs. Browns-Steelers: 8.4, 15.43M) and the ESPN game increased 28% and 29% respectively (vs. Saints-Panthers: 3.8, 6.95M).
In Week 3 last year, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 aired the same Cowboys-Giants game and combined to average 19.34 million viewers.
As previously noted, Amazon’s Thursday Night Football opened Week 3 with a double-digit gain and the second-largest TNF audience ever on the streaming service.
