• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Mixed Media

NFL Sunday Night Football
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL’s Thursday and Sunday primetime games this past week saw viewership dips compared to 2019. 

While some pundits might blame the drop on the league’s support of social and racial justice activism, it should be noted the weekend was unusually full of sports. Thursday’s game — which saw a 13% viewership decline — occurred alongside a Los Angeles Lakers playoff game, NHL playoffs, and a Serena Williams US Open match.

Opening Weekend Primetime Viewership:

  • Thursday Night’s NFL Kickoff Game: Viewership was down 13% from 2019 with 19.3 million viewers. Out-of-home viewing, a new Nielsen metric, eventually did bump the total up to 20.5 million viewers. 
  • NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”: Early reports suggest the game drew 15.2 million average total viewers, but the fast-national ratings don’t include major West Coast markets, including Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Rams played the Dallas Cowboys. The viewership was 21% down from the 2019 Sunday night debut. 

While viewership dropped, Fanatics reported a 35% year-over-year online sales increase during opening weekend. At the top of the list: Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey. Cam Newton’s New England Patriots jersey was just 50 units behind Brady’s heading into the weekend, according to Fanatics founder Michael Rubin.

Fanatics Opening Weekend Top-Selling Jerseys: 

  1. Buccaneers QB Tom Brady
  2. Patriots QB Cam Newton
  3. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes 
  4. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
  5. 49ers DE Nick Bosa

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Donald Trump
exclusive

Trump’s Unprecedented Super Bowl Visit Cost Secret Service More Than $120K

Trump was the first president to attend the Super Bowl.

CFB TV Ratings Stay Hot As Georgia-Tennessee Sets ABC High of 12.6M

ABC has had four games that have topped 10 million viewers this season.
Maria Taylor

Maria Taylor Talks About ‘Moving Differently’ in ESPN-NBC Jump

Taylor will be NBC Sports’ lead NBA and WNBA studio host.

MLB, NBC Leaders Say Broadcast TV Still Matters in Streaming Era

The network and league tout the forthcoming rights deal.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
patrick_mahomes

Super Bowl TV Viewership Sinks 8%

CBS Sports’ telecast of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs averaged 91.629 million viewers, down 8%.
person_playing_cricket
December 23, 2020

Prominent Tech Execs Line Up to Back Cricket Growth In the U.S.

More than 20 investors have now bought into American Cricket Enterprise, parent company oMajor League Cricket.
man_riding_stationary_bike
December 28, 2020

Connected Fitness Company Echelon Lands $65 Million Investment

The funding came from Goldman Sachs and North Castle Partners, who now own controlling interests in the company.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
woman_holding_hockey_stick
December 23, 2020

NBC to Air NWHL Finals, Adds to Banner Year for Women’s Sports

It will be the first time professional women’s hockey games are shown live on a major national cable network in the U.S.
antetokounmpo_dribbling_basketball
December 23, 2020

‘Giannis Effect’ Felt by Bucks Following Record-Breaking Extension

Since he was drafted in 2013, the Bucks’ valuation has jumped from No. 30 in the league at $312 million to No. 19 at $1.58 billion.
December 22, 2020

Adam Silver Says NBA Expansion is ‘Manifest Destiny of the League’

“It’s sort of the manifest destiny of the league that you expand at some point,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Monday.
December 22, 2020

Adidas Partners With Jerry Lorenzo, Fear of God Brand

Lorenzo will lead creative and business strategy for Adidas basketball globally, and launch a Fear of God athletics sub-brand.