Amazon’s first NFL preseason game cracked the million viewer mark, but was no match for competing action on NFL Network.
Per a source, last Thursday’s 49ers-Texans NFL preseason game averaged a 0.5 rating and 1.04 million viewers on Amazon Prime. It was the first Amazon NFL telecast to be measured by Nielsen. Amazon’s previous exclusive NFL game, a regular season Week 16 49ers-Cardinals matchup two years ago, is said to have averaged 4.8 million.
The number comes with a notable caveat — according to Sports Business Journal, figures include over-the-air simulcasts in the home markets. For NFL games that are not on broadcast television, local over-the-air simulcasts are typically excluded.
Head-to-head, 49ers-Texans was no match for the competing Packers-Chiefs game on NFL Network (1.1, 1.80M). The NFL Network game also came out ahead in adults 18-49 (0.40 to 0.33).
As previously reported by Sports Business Journal, Amazon NFL games will be measured by Nielsen this season, a first for an exclusive streaming package. Per Advertising Age, Amazon is said to be guaranteeing advertisers an average of 12.5 million viewers for its Thursday Night Football games.
In other NFL preseason action, last Sunday’s Lions-Steelers game drew a preseason-high 3.3 and 5.82 million viewers on CBS — up 65% from Dolphins/Bengals in the same window last year and the most-watched preseason game on CBS in nine years (2013 Seahawks-Packers: 7.68M).
Earlier in the day, Giants-Jets drew a 0.9 and 1.45 million on NFL Network. The network also drew a 0.6 and 1.11 million for Vikings-Broncos and a 0.6 and 1.10 million for Rams-Bengals on Saturday.
(Some Nielsen estimates from CBS Sports, ShowBuzz Daily 9.1, Sports Business Journal 9.1)
