In a year of double-digit ratings drops throughout the sports industry, the NFL escaped its 2020 regular season with a modest decline.
NFL regular season games averaged a Nielsen-estimated 15.4 million viewers, excluding make-up games — down 7% from last year (16.5M), down 2% from the 2018 season (15.8M) and the league’s smallest audience since 2017 (15.0M). According to The Hollywood Reporter, the league averaged 14.9 million with makeup games included.
The seven percent decline is modest compared to the double-digit drops suffered by the league’s competitors over the past year. Since the wave of cancellations and postponements last March, a number of marquee sports properties have suffered severe declines in viewership — most notably the World Series (-30%), NBA Finals (-49%), final round of the Masters (-58%) and Stanley Cup Final (-61%).
FOX led all NFL broadcasters with an average of 18.1 million for its main NFC package and 23.2 million for its late doubleheader windows — down 6% and 5% respectively from last year (19.2M; 24.4M).
The network finished its season last Sunday with a 12.25 rating (+6%) and 23.01 million viewers (+10%) for coverage featuring Packers-Bears in most markets, the largest Week 17 audience on any network since NBC drew 23.82 million for Packers-Lions on New Year’s Day 2017. Its early window (mostly Cowboys-Giants) had a 7.9 (-5%) and 13.92 million (-4%).
CBS ranked second for the season with average of 16.5 million, per Sports Business Daily — down 4% from last year (17.2M) and its smallest average since 2017 (15.7M). The network finished its season last weekend with a 7.4 (-13%) and 13.51 million (-9%) for its late game (mostly Cardinals-Rams) and a 7.4 (-1%) and 13.14 million (+5%) for its early window (mostly Steelers-Browns).
NBC’s Sunday Night Football had its least-watched season since 2008 with an average of 16.8 million, down 16% from last year. The series averaged a 9.3 rating (-18%), its lowest since moving to NBC in 2006 and lower than any season of its spiritual predecessor, ABC’s Monday Night Football.
SNF finished its season with a 9.2 and 16.55 million for Washington-Philadelphia last Sunday, down 26% in ratings and 28% in viewership from 49ers-Seahawks last year (12.5, 22.85M), though on par with Colts-Titans two years ago (9.3, 16.05M).
Despite the low marks, SNF remained easily the top primetime NFL package — and the top primetime show on all of television. It outpaced Thursday Night Football on FOX and NFL Network (7.7, 14.1M) and Monday Night Football on ESPN/ABC (6.9, 12.2M). Its 12-year low in viewership cruised past the average audience of last fall’s NBA Finals (7.5M) and World Series (9.8M).
SNF also ranks as the top primetime show in adults 18-49 (4.9), ahead of TNF (4.1) and MNF (3.7). It nearly tripled the top non-NFL show in the demo, The Masked Singer on FOX (1.7).
The full list of 2020 NFL ratings is available here.
[Nielsen estimates from Hollywood Reporter 1.6, Fox Sports PR 1.6, NBC Sports PR 1.6, Sports Business Daily 1.7]
