NFL Viewership Statistics (2025) — Most Watched Games Data
The NFL remains a significant attraction in American television, with the 2024 regular season attracting an average of 17.5 million viewers per game, despite a slight 2.2% decrease from the year before. Even with this small dip, it still holds the title of the most-watched program in the U.S.
The league’s reach has expanded on streaming platforms as well, with Amazon Prime Video reporting an 11% increase in viewership for “Thursday Night Football,” and Netflix’s Christmas Day live-streamed games drawing over 24 million viewers.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the NFL stats for 2025, breaking down how viewership has changed over the years, which teams are leading the charge, and how streaming services are shaping the game.
NFL Viewership Statistics: (Latest Data)
- In the 2024 NFL season, the average viewership per game was 17.5 million, a 2.2% decrease from the previous year.
- NBC had the second-largest NFL audience, with 21.6 million viewers, while Netflix led with 24 million viewers.
- The most-watched NFL game was on November 24, 2022, when the Cowboys faced the Giants, attracting 42.1 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.
Average NFL Viewership Per Game
In the 2024 NFL season, the average viewership for a regular season game was 17.5 million.
While this number reflects strong engagement, it’s a slight dip of 2.2% compared to the previous year.
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 number of average NFL viewership by year:
| Season | NFL Average Viewers Per Game |
|---|---|
| 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 Viwership By Network
NBC captured the second-largest NFL audience in the 2024 season, averaging 21.6 million viewers
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 2024 | Average NFL Viewers 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | 24 million | NA |
| NBC | 21.6 million | 21.4 million |
| CBS | Not disclosed | 19.3 million |
| Fox | 18.4 million | 19 million |
| ESPN | 15 million | 17.4 million |
| Amazon | 13.2 million | 11.9 million |
Source: Sports Business Journal, Front Office Sports.
Most Watched NFL Games
The most-watched NFL game is from November 24, 2022, when the Cowboys faced the Giants and attracted 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 games:
| Ranking | Date | Results | Reported U.S. Viewership |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 24, 2022 | Cowboys (28) vs Giants (20) | 42.1 million |
| 2 | December 3, 1990 | 49ers (7) vs Giants (3) | 41.5 million |
| 3 | November 23, 2023 | Cowboys (45) vs Washington (10) | 41.4 million |
| 4 | November 25, 2021 | Raiders (36) vs Cowboys (33) | 40.8 million |
| 5 | December 2, 1985 | Bears (24) vs Dolphins (38) | 39 million |
| 6 | November 28, 2024 | Giants (20) vs Cowboys (27) | 38.5 million |
| 7 | November 28, 2024 | Bears (20) vs Lions (23) | 37.4 million |
| 8 | November 24, 2016 | Washington (26) vs Cowboys (31) | 35.1 million |
| 9 | November 23, 2023 | Packers (29) vs Lions (22) | 33.7 million |
| 10 | October 5, 1992 | Cowboys (7) vs Eagles (31) | 32.9 million |
Source: Front Office Sports
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.
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
NFL recorded an international viewership of 62.5 million in 2023 for the Super Bowl.
This figure excluded the domestic viewership of 123.4 million viewers in the United States.
Of the recorded international viewers in 2023, 24.1 million viewers were from Mexico, the highest viewership recorded since the game began and a 5% increase compared to 2022.
Besides, the number of viewers in Mexico and Canada witnessed the highest growth compared to other countries during that season.
Source: Sportcal
NFL Streaming Statistics
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 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 2023, the Super Bowl NFL season recorded 600 million in ad revenue.
Meanwhile, the NFL season recorded an ad revenue of 578.4 million in 2022 and 545 million in 2021.
The following table displays the ad revenue recorded in the Super Bowl NFL season by year.
| Year | Ad Revenue |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Source: Statista
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Conclusion: Average TV Viewership For Regular Season NFL Games Stood At 17.5 Million
The 2024 regular season averaged 17.5 million viewers per game, showing a slight 2.2% dip from the previous year.
Meanwhile, the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day games made history, with the early CBS game between the Bears and Lions attracting 37.5 million viewers, setting a new record for the most-watched early Thanksgiving Day game.
Despite the dip, the NFL was the most-watched television program in the United States.