Weekly sports ratings: NFL, NBA, Army-Navy, MLS Cup and more

Full chart below.

NBC drops Al Michaels from NFL playoff coverage, per NYP

Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the social media websites X (Twitter) or Bluesky.

3FGHMN5 Sept 12, 2026. Raleek Brown (0) of the Texas Longhorns in action vs the Ohio State Buckeyes at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Texas. Texas defeats Ohio State 24-23. Robert Backman/CSM

Ohio State-Texas hits viewership highs on ABC

by Jon Lewis

1 day ago

For a second-straight year, Ohio State and Texas met in front of an unusually large TV crowd.

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) celebrates a first down during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

NBC’s Cowboys-Giants most-watched Week 1 game thus far

by Jon Lewis

1 day ago

The Cowboys-Giants rivalry delivered the top audience so far in Week 1 of the NFL season.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29) intercepts the ball in front of New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins (13) during an NFL football game in Seattle, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben VanHouten)

NFL Kickoff viewership down, Australia game flat

by Jon Lewis

2 days ago

The NFL season got off to a ho-hum start in the ratings by the league's lofty standards.

NFL ON CBS - New England Patriots versus the New York Jets game on September 24, 2023. Pictured: Jim Nantz and Tony Romo. Photo: Mary Kouw/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Romo remains out for Weeks 2 and 3 of NFL on CBS

by Jon Lewis

3 days ago

Tony Romo will be out through at least the rest of September on CBS.

Comments 14

Tim Tebow says:

3 years ago

Do you have any information for Big Ten hockey ratings? I believe 3 games were played over the weekend?
- Hockey Fan says:
  
  3 years ago
  
  I would also be interested in this
  - Jon Lewis says:
    
    3 years ago
    
    Forgot to reply to this, thanks for bringing it back to my attention. December 8 Minnesota-Ohio State averaged a 0.02 and 33K, December 8 Penn State-Wisconsin averaged a 0.02 and 36K and December 9 Minnesota-Ohio State averaged a 0.04 and 93K.
    - Tim Tebow says:
      
      3 years ago
      
      Thank you!!
esl says:

3 years ago

Army-Navy always will get great numbers since they moved this to its own week. I dont get the appeal. The game is brutal to watch. Not much better than High School football. The only reason it is getting these great numbers is there is absolutely no competition. Nothing else is on. I remember the days when this was on ABC and it was a regional telecast. The way it should be. It s not fair to the fans that want to watch other football games. There is no other option. They have to be subjected to HS level football. It’s not about being non-patriotic. It’s about being entertained. I would like to see the Army-Navy game put on at 12 noon Et. Let the NFL have the Saturday window beginning at 4:30pm. Give the fans some other options to watch football.
Sure. 7 million is a great number. But, when there is nothing else on, it should not be something to celebrate.
Will says:

3 years ago

Army-Navy is missing from the Saturday chart. College Football Today too as of the time of this comment.
- Jon Lewis says:
  
  3 years ago
  
  Should be fixed now.
Chris L. says:

3 years ago

Hey! Do you have impressions for the Army Navy game on CBS last Saturday?
Eddy says:

3 years ago

MLS Cup with just under 900k on FOX is very respectable considering a larger number watched on Apple since thats MLS exclusive home now. Also Last year was two big markets vs this year Columbus was in it and a large number were watching on Apple probably a total Audience around 1.5-2m once Apple is included.

Will still note with as much as media went hard pushing the WNBA promotion this is still better TV number just as a simulcast alone. That should be noted.
- Rod says:
  
  3 years ago
  
  Why don’t we just admit now that soccer will never succeed as an American sport that will capture anyone other than the hardest hardcore fan, probably not even a citizen? Basically nobody watched the championship game despite it having the biggest draws in the league except for the Messi retirement party. It was far outdone by mundane overseas games, mundane Mexican games, even by the second tier college football championship, as well it should have been given the extraordinary level of tedium and ennui provided in even the most compelling-on-its-face contest.
  Most of us would sooner watch tiddly-winks.
  - Tony says:
    
    3 years ago
    
    You have a valid point. However TV ratings aren’t the only measure of success for the league. MLS has survived 26 years, built over 20 soccer specifics stadiums which are usually filled to capacity (except in NY) and will generate $250 billion from AppleTV.. The teams are relevant in the markets they are in (except for NY!) As far as the ratings on FOX, the network did not carry many games this year with virtually no advertising for the Final. Additional diehard fans probably watched the game on Apple.
    - Tony says:
      
      3 years ago
      
      Sorry, typo…$2.5 billion.
    - Rod says:
      
      3 years ago
      
      Surviving is not the same as thriving. FWIW, the accused Gilgo Beach murderer went 27 years without detection, when people were looking hard to figure it out, something not really true in soccer.
      And are teams really relevant in home markets? Hard to tell as the teams do not announce actual turnstile movements, instead report some bogus number of tickets distributed, which includes freebies, Groupons, etc. Moreover entire team payrolls average only about $14m according to https://www.capology.com/us/mls/payrolls/ which is less than half what Freddie Freeman makes all by himself.
      And for all the hype, even Messi only gets $12m per year on a three year deal from the team https://www.capology.com/club/inter-miami/salaries/2023/ believe it or don’t, and that is a tiny fraction of what a team in the same city paid to Giancarlo Stanton got on a long term deal ($29m) and just a tad more than was given to the unproved-at-the-time-rookie Tua Tagovailoa ($30m). https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/tua-tagovailoas-contract-breakdown-net-worth-how-much-money-does-the-dolphins-qb-make/articleshow/105937864.cms
      This is not a big sign of big popularity. And FWIW, entire sections of the Red Bull Arena stay covered or go to Stub Hub at $9 a ticket and don’t sell.
      As far as many people watching on Apple, I think that’s a stretch to think it is a significant number. Apple only has about 25m or so subscribers https://www.statista.com/statistics/1136261/number-of-apple-tv-plus-subscribers-us/ and lots of them are on free subscriptions from other purchases and may thus be only the most casual users of the service at all and even more casual fans of soccer. And if it comes down to a choice between figuring out how to find the game on the streamer as opposed to the linear tv network, methinks only a handful choose the hard way of not simply pressing channel 5 on the remote, which is why, as noted above, Apple does not publish its ratings.
      What you really want to know here is that the MLS is definitely not a Ponzi Scheme https://deadspin.com/mls-which-is-definitely-not-a-ponzi-scheme-wants-to-e-1834177757 in which the primary source of income is franchise fees from loonie toons with too much money burning holes in their pockets and extremely generous legislators who gift the league free stadiums there cities cannot really afford like the $516m New Yorkers will pony up. https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2023/01/16/Facilities/new-york-soccer-stadium.aspx when the city is slashing budgets. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/nyregion/nyc-budget-cuts-schools-police-trash.html .
  - NaBUru38 says:
    
    3 years ago
    
    Don’t confuse soccer with the MLS.