NFL Viewership Statistics 2026 – Latest Demographics Data
The NFL remains a significant attraction on American television, with the 2025 regular season drawing an average of 18.7 million viewers per game! Most significantly, the 2025 Super Bowl LIX peaked at 137.7 million U.S. viewers across television and streaming platforms.
The Super Bowl LX recorded 124.9 million viewership in 2026.
The 2025 NFL season has officially cemented its status as a record-breaking phenomenon, headlined by a historic 57.2 million viewers for the Chiefs-Cowboys Thanksgiving game and unprecedented viewership growth across streaming giants like Amazon and Netflix.
These records seem to have lasted for a short time when the NFL 2025 season averaged at 22.3 million viewers per game for just the first week!
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the NFL viewership stats for 2026, breaking down how viewership has changed over the years till the latest season, which teams are leading the charge, and how streaming services are shaping the game.
NFL Viewership Statistics 2026: Top Picks
- NFL TV ratings 2025 week 1 averaged at 22.3 million per game.
- Super Bowl LIX saw a record 127.7 million average and 137.7 million peak viewers.
- In the 2025-26 NFL season, the average viewership per game was 18.7 million, a 10% increase from the previous year.
- NBC Sunday Night Football had the second-largest NFL audience, with 21.6 million viewers, while Netflix led with 24 million viewers.
- The chiefs vs. the Cowboys on Nov 27, 2025 is the most-watched NFL game with 57.2 million viewers.
- The NFL games on November 28, 2024, stood out, with two games making the top list: Giants vs. Cowboys (38.5 million viewers) and Bears vs. Lions (37.4 million viewers).
- The Kansas City Chiefs had the highest viewership in the 2024 season, with a total of 25.5 million viewers.
- 70% of men in the United States tune in to NFL games.
- Super Bowl LIX season reached an all-time high figure of $800 million in ad revenue.
Average NFL Viewership Per Game
The 2025 regular season averaged 18.7 million viewers per game window, a 10% increase over 2024 and the highest average since 1989.
The week 1 NFL average viewership ratings for the 2025 season were reported to be 22.5 million on TV and digital platforms. This figure is 5% higher than the NFL 2024 season and 19% higher than the NFL 2023 season opening weeks.
In fact, 4 of the top 5 viewed matches on the NFL Kickoff weekend crossed the 20 million viewership mark!
The 2025 NFL season’s first week averaged 22.3 million viewers per game, which is a 5% increase from the 2024 season (17.5 million per game) and 19% higher than the 2023 opening week.
While this number reflects strong engagement, it’s a slight dip of 2.2% compared to the 2023-24 NFL season.
Note: The average of 17.5 million viewers per game doesn’t include data from ESPN+, Peacock, or international games on the NFL Network.
Here is a table displaying the average number of NFL viewership by year:
| Season | NFL Average Viewers Per Game |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 18.7 million |
| 2024 | 17.5 million |
| 2023 | 17.9 million |
| 2022 | 16.7 million |
| 2021 | 17.1 million |
| 2020 | 15.6 million |
| 2019 | 16.5 million |
| 2018 | 15.8 million |
| 2017 | 15 million |
| 2016 | 16.5 million |
| 2015 | 18.1 million |
| 2014 | 17.6 million |
Source: Statista, Ministry of Sports, The Memo.
NFL Viewership By Network
NBC captured the second-largest NFL audience in the 2024 season, averaging 21.6 million viewers. This is the best performance of SNF since 2015.
Netflix, however, took the lead with the highest viewership, averaging over 24 million.
Fox came in third, with an average of 81.4 million viewers, showing a small dip from the previous year.
The following table displays the average NFL viewers by network:
| Network | Average NFL Viewers 2025 | Average NFL Viewers 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | 26.5 million | 24 million |
| NBC | 23.5 million | 21.6 million |
| CBS | NA | Not disclosed |
| Fox | NA | 18.4 million |
| ESPN | 16.5 million | 15 million |
| Amazon | 15.3 million | 13.2 million |
Source: Sports Business Journal, Comcast Corporation, Front Office Sports.
Most Watched NFL Regular Season Games
The Chiefs vs. Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day (Nov 27, 2025) shattered all previous records with an average of 57.2 million viewers on CBS and Paramount+.
Previously, it was Cowboys vs the Giants on November 24, 2022, with 42.1 million viewers.
Cowboys games on Thanksgiving Day have proven to be major draws, with three of their games (November 24, 2022, November 23, 2023, and November 28, 2024) ranking in the top 6 most-watched NFL games.
The NFL games on November 28, 2024, stand out for having two games on the list: the Giants vs. Cowboys, which pulled in 38.5 million viewers, and the Bears vs. Lions, which garnered 37.4 million viewers.
The following table displays the most-watched NFL regular-season games:
| Ranking | Date | Results | Reported U.S. Viewership |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 27, 2025 | Chiefs (24) vs. Cowboys (20) | 57.2 million |
| 2 | November 24, 2022 | Cowboys (28) vs Giants (20) | 42.1 million |
| 3 | December 3, 1990 | 49ers (7) vs Giants (3) | 41.5 million |
| 4 | November 23, 2023 | Cowboys (45) vs Washington (10) | 41.4 million |
| 5 | November 25, 2021 | Raiders (36) vs Cowboys (33) | 40.8 million |
| 6 | December 2, 1985 | Bears (24) vs Dolphins (38) | 39 million |
| 7 | November 28, 2024 | Giants (20) vs Cowboys (27) | 38.5 million |
| 8 | November 28, 2024 | Bears (20) vs Lions (23) | 37.4 million |
| 9 | November 24, 2016 | Washington (26) vs Cowboys (31) | 35.1 million |
| 10 | November 23, 2023 | Packers (29) vs Lions (22) | 33.7 million |
Source: Front Office Sports, SportsPro
NFL Viewership By Team
In the 2024 NFL regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs drew the most viewers, with a total of 25.5 million. The quarterback Patrick Mahomes was one of the star players who drove such massive viewership during the 2024-25 season.
Following closely behind were the Detroit Lions, who attracted 23.8 million viewers.
The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens also attracted impressive viewership numbers, rounding out to the top 4 in the list of teams with high viewer engagement.
Here’s a table showing the top 10 most-watched NFL teams based on average U.S. viewership for the 2024 season:
| Team | Average U.S. Viewership in 2024 |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 25.5 million |
| Detroit Lions | 23.8 million |
| Dallas Cowboys | 23.14 million |
| Baltimore Ravens | 23.14 million |
| San Francisco 49ers | 23.1 million |
| Buffalo Bills | 23.07 million |
| Green Bay Packers | 21.79 million |
| Los Angeles Rams | 21.58 million |
| Washington Commanders | 20.6 million |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 20.53 million |
Source: Front Office Sports
NFL Viewership Worldwide
The NFL recorded an international average viewership of 124.9 million for the 2026 Super Bowl LX.
Super Bowl LIX in 2025 peaked at 137.7 million U.S. viewers across TV and streaming, with an average of 127.7 million viewers—the highest ever reported for an NFL game.
This is a 3% increase from last year, when the viewership of the NFL Super Bowl reached an average of 123.7 million.
Note: Super Bowl LIX remains the most-watched program in history by average, but Super Bowl LX (Seahawks vs. Patriots) set the all-time peak record during the 2nd quarter.
Source: NFL.com
NFL Streaming Statistics
Streaming dominance reached a fever pitch in 2025, with Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football surpassing 96.8 million unique viewers by mid-season, a double-digit percentage increase over 2024.
The AFC Wild Card match between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs, which was held in January 2024, recorded the highest NFL views on Peacock of 12 million.
Meanwhile, the Packers-Eagles game held in September 2024 became the second most-watched live event on Peacock with 14.2 million viewers.
The Ravens-Chiefs broadcast surpassed the NFL kickoff game viewership by 5% and an increase of 65% in the AMA (average minute audience) compared to last year’s game.
Overall, the average minute audience for the NFL live stream on Peacock, NBC Sports digital platforms, and NFL digital platforms was recorded to be 4.6 million viewers on September 5th and 2.8 million on September 8th.
Source: Sportcal, Media Play News.
The NFL Thursday Night Football (TNF) saw a 24% increase in its viewership on Amazon Prime compared to the previous season.
TNF on Amazon Prime recorded an average of 11.86 million viewers compared to 9.58 million viewers in the last season.
Besides, the Vikings-Eagles match in September 2023 recorded 15.1 million viewers on Amazon Prime, making it the most-watched TNF game ever on Amazon Prime.
Source: Amazon Studios.
NFL Draft Viewership Statistics
TV audience across the 2024 NFL draft was recorded to an average of 5.9 million viewers.
However, the first round was viewed by a record-breaking 12.1 million viewers. In the second round of the draft, there were only 5.05 million.
The average audience recorded in the NFL Draft 2024 is further detailed in the table below.
| NFL Draft Rounds 2024 | Viewers in Millions |
|---|---|
| Average | 5.9 million |
| Round 1 | 12.1 million |
| Rounds 2-3 | 5.05 million |
| Rounds 4-7 | 3 million |
Source: Statista
The first round of the NFL Draft 2024, Round One, recorded an increase of over 0.8 million viewers compared to 2023.
In 2024, an average of 12.1 million people watched the NFL Draft Round One in the United States on TV, while 11.29 million people watched the NFL Draft Round One in 2023.
Besides, that’s an approximate increase of 4.4 million viewers compared to that recorded in 2020, when the viewer count fell by nearly 4.6 million compared to 2019.
The following table provides the details about the average number of NFL Draft Round One viewers by year:
| Year | Number of NFL Draft TV Viewers Round One |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 12.1 million |
| 2023 | 11.29 million |
| 2022 | 10.03 million |
| 2021 | 8.06 million |
| 2020 | 7.72 million |
| 2019 | 12.37 million |
| 2018 | 8.84 million |
| 2017 | 8.33 million |
| 2016 | 9.21 million |
| 2015 | 11.21 million |
| 2014 | 11.1 million |
Source: Statista
NFL Viewer Demographics And Engagement Levels
NFL viewers are mainly men aged 35 to 44. Let’s explore the demographics of NFL viewers in detail.
NFL Viewer Gender Demographics
70% of the men in the United States engage in NFL matches.
At the same time, just 53% of the females in the country watch NFL matches.
Source: Sponsor Plus
NFL Viewer’s Age Demographics
35% of the adults aged 18 to 34 years are avid fans of the NFL.
Meanwhile, 41% of the adults aged 35 to 44 years are avid fans of the NFL and 32% stated that they are casual fans.
Here is a table displaying the breakdown of the NFL fans by age group.
| Age Group | Avid Fans | Casual Fans | Not A Fan At All |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 – 34 years | 35% | 31% | 34% |
| 35 – 44 years | 41% | 32% | 27% |
| 45 – 64 years | 39% | 34% | 28% |
| 65+ years | 32% | 34% | 34% |
Source: Statista
How Much Does The NFL Make From Advertising?
In 2025, the Super Bowl NFL season recorded $850 million in ad revenue.
Meanwhile, the NFL season recorded an ad revenue of $645 million in 2024 and $600 million in 2023.
The following table displays the ad revenue recorded in the Super Bowl NFL season by year.
| Year | Ad Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $850 million |
| 2024 | $645 million |
| 2023 | $600 million |
| 2022 | $578.4 million |
| 2021 | $545 million |
| 2020 | $449 million |
| 2019 | $339 million |
| 2018 | $341 million |
| 2017 | $430 million |
| 2016 | $376 million |
| 2015 | $322 million |
| 2014 | $309 million |
| 2013 | $272 million |
| 2012 | $244 million |
| 2011 | $212 million |
More Stats Like This:
Conclusion: Average TV Viewership for Regular Season NFL Games recorded 18.7 million viewership
The NFL 2025 season’s average viewership stood at 18.7 million per game, while the 2024 regular season averaged 17.5 million viewers per game, showing a slight 2.2% dip from the previous year.
Meanwhile, the NFL Super Bowl 2025 made records, attracting 124.9 million viewers, setting a new record for the most-watched NFL game ever!