Thursday night’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on NBC Sports had 6.3 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital to rank as the most-watched HOF Game since 2018.
The preseason fixture from Canton, Ohio, delivered big numbers for NBC despite offseason quarterback addition Aaron Rodgers not playing as the New York Jets fell to the Cleveland Browns, 21-16. Since Rodgers was traded from Green Bay to Gang Green, the Jets have been selected for HBO’s Hard Knocks, as well as five primetime regular season games and the NFL’s inaugural Black Friday game on Amazon Prime Video.
At 6.3 million viewers, the Zack Wilson-led Jets and Browns had their Hall of Fame Game preseason matchup surpass the average viewing of this year’s NBA playoff games. In June, the NBA said its 2023 playoff games averaged 5.47 million viewers per broadcast across ABC, ESPN, and TNT to rank as the NBA’s most-watched postseason in five years.
Thursday’s preseason game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium was a sellout, with about 18,000 fans. It also ranked as the most-in-demand Hall of Fame Game ever on SeatGeek, with an average resale price of $228. The Hall of Fame enshrinement of longtime Browns left tackle Joe Thomas also helped build excitement around this year’s game.
In addition to Rodgers turning the Jets into national TV darlings, the future Hall of Fame quarterback led a 400% surge in New York season ticket sales.
