The NFL followed up its most-watched Kickoff Game in three years with its largest Week 1 audience of any kind in three years.
Sunday’s Week 1 NFL national window, featuring Giants-Cowboys in 85% of markets, averaged a 13.5 rating and 23.90 million viewers on FOX — marking the highest rated and most-watched Week 1 telecast since the same matchup in the same window three years ago (15.5, 27.53M).
Ratings and viewership increased 3% from last year (mostly Cowboys-Panthers: 13.1, 23.30M) and 6% and 5% respectively from 2017 (mostly Seahawks-Packers: 12.7, 22.80M).
In addition to the Week 1 high, the telecast also ranks as the highest rated and most-watched Giants-Cowboys game since Week 14 of the 2016 season (14.9, 26.50M), and television’s top program since the Academy Awards in February (16.4, 29.56M).
The Cowboys’ easy win averaged a 33.1 rating in Dallas-Ft. Worth (and a 61 share) and a 12.7 in New York City. As for the two other games in the window, Lions-Cardinals averaged a 27.0 in Detroit and a 21.0 in Phoenix, and Buccaneers-49ers a 21.2 in Tampa-St. Petersburg and a 15.8 in the Bay Area.
Earlier Sunday, regional action featuring Washington-Philadelphia or Rams-Panthers in 74% of markets averaged a 7.4 (flat) and 12.64 million (+1%).
Minneapolis-St. Paul led all markets with a 34.8 rating (and a 72 share) for Vikings-Falcons. Philadelphia ranked second, with a 30.5 (and a 59 share), with Washington D.C. (19.0), Atlanta (17.4) and Los Angeles (11.2) rounding out the home markets.
The early window averaged a 3.9 rating in adults 18-49, even with last year and up 5% from 2017 (3.7). The late window had a 7.5, up a tick from last year (7.4), but down a tick from 2017 (7.6).
The full list of Week 1 NFL ratings is available on the NFL ratings page.
[Nielsen estimates via ShowBuzz Daily 9.10, Fox Sports]
