NFL Preseason Sees 17% Jump in TV Ratings, Best Since 2018

The NFL’s preseason viewership was up substantially this year, offering a meaningful preview of what’s potentially to come in the regular season. 

The league said the entire preseason averaged 2.2 million viewers per game across linear and digital platforms, up 17% from last year and the best such mark since 2018. For the NFL Network specifically, each game averaged 1.8 million viewers, that outlet’s best preseason mark on record and up by 26% from 2024.

The July 31 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game that began the league’s preseason slate also started the upward march in viewership, with that Chargers-Lions clash averaging 6.9 million viewers, a 40% bump from the 2024 event.

While still exhibition play, the figures give the NFL a sizable dose of momentum after regular-season ratings in 2024 fell by 2.2% from the previous year to 17.5 million viewers per game. While many top stars play sparingly, if at all, during the preseason, fans were enthused to see how their favorite teams shaped their rosters and positional battles, such as quarterback in Cleveland, ultimately won by veteran Joe Flacco. 

The NFL preseason figures could also be an early sign of what’s to come from the newly expanded audience data from Nielsen. The measurement agency is in the midst of rolling out its Big Data + Panel methodology, which incorporates traditional tallies of viewership, such as panel-based tabulation, along with data from set-top boxes and smart TVs.

The enlarged methodology is expected to show higher viewership averages for many different forms of programming, particularly live sports and the NFL within that, as Nielsen provides a more holistic view of audience behaviors. 

Power of the Shield

Additionally, the NFL viewership figures for 2025 compare strongly to some recent portions of regular-season and playoff competition in other top sports leagues. 

ESPN’s average this year for Sunday Night Baseball, a primetime showcase for Major League Baseball, is 1.765 million, even after an 11% jump. The NHL’s 2025 Stanley Cup Final, meanwhile, averaged 2.5 million viewers in the U.S.