• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, May 28, 2025

CBS Hoping Chiefs, Stars, and Slime Can Deliver Even Higher NFL Ratings

  • Several factors, including the NFL’s still-growing popularity and the Chiefs, are seen as key audience drivers.
  • Nickelodeon will once again air a kids-focused NFL game production.
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

There is a rather high bar for the NFL and its domestic broadcasters to improve television ratings this season after a banner 2023 that included across-the-board increases in viewership and an all-time record for Super Bowl LVIII. 

The challenge grows further because of the U.S. presidential election set for November, something historically shown to be a drag on sports ratings.

But CBS Sports still sees a path for additional audience growth in the 2024 season. Speaking Wednesday with reporters to preview its NFL coverage, network executives laid out several factors it will rely on during the upcoming season:

  • Growth of the NFL’s overall popularity: During 2023, the NFL represented 93 of the top 100 most-watched broadcasts on U.S. television, across all programming, up from 82 in 2022 and 61 in 2018. In an increasingly fractured society, the NFL is perhaps the closest thing to monocultural programming, with no letup in sight. “This sport—every day, every season, it distances itself, against all forms of media,” said David Berson, CBS Sports president and CEO. “The stars that are being built, the product on the air, the fact that they’re willing to innovate … they’re doing a really good job.”
  • All Chiefs, all the time: The two-time defending Super Bowl champions were already a focal point of the 2024 NFL schedule. But CBS Sports will air nearly half of the team’s slate, with a minimum of eight Kansas City games to be shown on its network. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that the Chiefs feature the league’s biggest star, quarterback Patrick Mahomes (above, right), and tight end Travis Kelce, boyfriend of global pop icon Taylor Swift.
  • Quarterback star power: While Mahomes will certainly be a point of emphasis, CBS as the primary home of the AFC will regularly air other signal-calling stars in the conference such as the Bengals’ Joe Burrow, the Bills’ Josh Allen (above, left), the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, and the Texans’ C.J. Stroud. The balance of QB power has swung decidedly toward the AFC in recent years.
  • Broadcast TV trends: Macro-level media disruption has fueled a sharp rise in over-the-air television as a refuge for cord-cutters and cord-nevers. That trend plays directly into the hands of the NFL and networks such as CBS, which have made broadcast TV a foundation of its coverage for decades.

“The media landscape is complicated, and a lot of entertainment [content] is moving to other platforms,” Berson said. “But sports, you still have to see it live. Every day, sports become more important, and the NFL is far and away the leader in that respect.”

The Slime Is Back

CBS Sports will once again air a kids-oriented NFL game production on Nickelodeon, reviving an effort that began in 2020 and was deployed twice last season, including in Super Bowl LVIII. The next effort will be during one of two wild-card games the network will show in January.

“I don’t know if there’s anything that’s been more innovative in coverage of the NFL in a long time,” Berson said of the alternate broadcasts on Nickelodeon. “This is genuinely bringing in an incremental audience and cultivating the next generation of fans.”

From One QB to Another …

Perhaps the biggest change in NFL coverage this season will be the on-air debut of Fox Sports analyst and NFL icon Tom Brady. CBS Sports’ top NFL analyst, Tony Romo, had strong praise for his counterpart.

“I’m excited for him,” Romo said. “To have one of the greatest players ever, if not the greatest player, do this, it’s only going to be a positive.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Feb 14, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the Kansas City Royals 1985 and 2015 World Series championships on the scoreboard at Kauffman Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex.

Chiefs, Royals Stadium Public Funding Standoff Nears Endgame

Missouri legislators will review stadium bonds for the Chiefs and Royals.

Mets Casino Project Moves Forward As Cohen Shakes Up Front Office

Scott Havens will depart as team president of business operations.
Mar 16, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) drives to the basket as Memphis Tigers forward Nicholas Jourdain (2) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena.

Prospects Picking College Over NBA Draft at Record Rate

The 2025 NBA draft has its lowest number of early entrants since 2015.

Clark, Fever Set Another Ratings Record Before Two-Week Injury

Caitlin Clark is out for a minimum of two weeks due to injury.

Featured Today

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 24, 2025

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.
May 24, 2025

Indiana Is the Center of the Basketball Universe—Thanks to Both Pro Teams

The Fever and Pacers are thriving at the same time.
Around the Horn - October 26, 2020
May 23, 2025

‘Quirky, Nutty, Bombastic’: 10 ‘Around the Horn’ Faces on Their Top Moments

“A quirky, nutty, bombastic, mostly wrong, sometimes right, crazy sports family.”

NBA East Finals Delivers Strong TV Ratings, but West Is Struggling

The Knicks and Thunder are both up 3–1 in their conference finals series.
May 22, 2025

NBC Eyes MLB Rights, Looks to Own Sunday Nights Year-Round

The league continues to shop media rights being forfeited by ESPN.
Around the Horn
May 23, 2025

Behind the Scenes of Around the Horn’s Final Days

FOS followed Tony Reali at the penultimate taping of the ESPN icon.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
May 21, 2025

Paige Bueckers’s WNBA Debut Delivers 121% Ratings Bump on Ion

Friday’s doubleheader averaged 612,000 viewers.
Dec 9, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) watches as center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates after making a three point basket to clinch a win against the Toronto Raptors near the end of the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena.
May 20, 2025

NBA Playoff TV Ratings Up 3% Ahead of Late-Round Test

Games are averaging 4.17 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, and TNT.
May 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Scottie Scheffler is interviewed after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow.
May 20, 2025

PGA Championship TV Ratings Dip As Scottie Scheffler Dominates Again

CBS drew an average of 4.76 million viewers for Sunday’s final round.
May 20, 2025

Caitlin Clark, Fever Draw Record 2.7M Viewers vs. Sky

Caitlin Clark recorded her third career triple-double.