NFL viewership is trending at multi-year highs for four of the league’s five media rights partners.
Through seven weeks, this season ranks as the most-watched in eight years on both NBC (21.1M per Nielsen, 22.9M including Adobe Analytics) and CBS (18.1M). With ABC simulcasting games all season, ESPN’s Monday Night Football is having its most-watched season (15.5M) since the end of the original ABC era in 2005 (15.8M). As previously noted, Amazon Prime is also posting a multi-year high for its Thursday Night Football coverage (12.9M).
The lone exception among media partners is FOX, whose seven-week average of 16.99 million is down 2% from last year (17.38M).
As with all multi-year highs, keep in mind that out-of-home viewing was not included in Nielsen viewership estimates prior to 2020.
All four outlets scored increases in Week 7 of the season. CBS had its most-watched Week 7 since its return to NFL coverage in 1998, averaging a 19.73 million for its doubleheader. The late window (mostly Chargers-Chiefs) averaged a 12.3 rating and 24.38 million viewers, marking the largest Week 7 audience on any network since 2015 on FOX (Cowboys-Giants: 24.47M) and up 6% and 9% respectively from last year (mostly Chiefs-49ers: 11.6, 22.29M). The early window (mostly Bills-Patriots) scored an 8.4 (+15%) and 15.69 million (+17%).
NBC placed second for the week with a 10.7 rating and 20.61 million (22.4M including Adobe Analytics) for Dolphins-Eagles on Sunday Night Football, up 27% in ratings and a third in viewership from Steelers-Dolphins last year (8.5, 15.53M). Three of the past four SNF windows have increased double-digits from last year.
Despite facing Game 7 of the MLB American League Championship Series, Monday Night Football (49ers-Vikings) averaged a 10.1 rating and 18.61 million viewers across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 — up 54% in ratings and 57% in viewership from Bears-Patriots on the ESPN cable networks last season (6.5, 11.83M) and the most-watched Week 7 edition of MNF since at least 2000.
The five MNF games simulcast across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 this season have each hit at least a 14-year viewership high. ABC was originally set to only simulcast three games total this season (in addition to three exclusive windows), but expanded its schedule to encompass the entire season due to the ongoing Hollywood shutdown.
The additional ABC simulcasts have boosted the MNF audience by ten percent so far this season, and that is despite this year’s average including two weeks in which ABC and ESPN cannibalized each other with competing games — compared to one such instance last year.
Rounding out the gains, Amazon Prime scored another double-digit increase for Thursday Night Football (as noted previously).
As is the case overall, FOX was the lone exception in Week 7 with a 7.3 and 14.53 million for its singleheader window (featuring Lions-Ravens) — down from coverage featuring Cowboys-Lions on CBS last year (7.8, 14.56M).
For more NFL ratings, see the full season page. For more weekend ratings, see the weekly chart.
