CBS Nets 13-Year High in September NFL Viewership

Sunday’s NFL on CBS coverage, which featured Patriots-Jets, was the most-watched September single-header broadcast for CBS Sports in 12 years.

The Patriots-Jets window drew 17.5 million viewers for CBS, up 19% over Week 3 last season. This season’s first three weeks of NFL games on CBS averaged 18.69 million viewers, giving CBS its best September NFL viewership in 13 years.

FOX’s Week 3 late afternoon national broadcast window, which began Sunday with Bears-Chiefs before shifting to Cardinals-Cowboys, had 24.3 million viewers as the most-watched telecast of the week across any network. 

With Taylor Swift sitting next to Donna Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium amid the pop star’s rumored relationship with her son, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, the broadcast window for Fox ranked first among last week’s demographics for women aged 12-49. Fox had an 8.1% ratings increase for the female 12-17 demo in its Week 3 national broadcast window over Week 2, according to Sports TV Ratings.

Overall, Swift’s presence in Kansas City did not result in a year-over-year ratings jump for Fox. Sunday’s 24.3 million viewers was less than last season’s Week 3 national broadcast window on Fox, which mostly featured Packers-Buccaneers (Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady) and had 26.4 million viewers.