• Loading stock data...
Monday, September 15, 2025
One Day till Tuned In! Get a Last Second Ticket!

CBS Sports Chairman: NFL TV Ratings Are Speeding ‘Freight Train’

  • NFL regular-season game audiences rose 10% to 17.1 million viewers last year.
  • ‘There’s nothing like the NFL,’ says CBS Sports boss Sean McManus.
Sean McManus
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout the TV business, there’s a lot of doom and gloom about TV ratings for news and entertainment falling off a cliff. But networks that broadcast live NFL games are all smiles heading into the new 2022 season.

The NFL has emerged as the most popular property in all of entertainment, blowing away dramas, reality shows, and sitcoms, as well as other leagues. 

  • NFL regular-season game telecasts averaged 17.1 million viewers during the 2021 season. 
  • That was up 10% from the year before — and the highest regular-season average since 2015; NFL games ranked in 48 of the top 50 telecasts.
  • Fans consumed 370 billion total minutes, up 18%, and the highest figure in six years.
  • NBC’s coverage of Super Bowl LVI drew over 208 million viewers, or two-thirds of the U.S. population.

During a CBS Sports press call previewing this season’s coverage, chairman Sean McManus said he expects another big year ratings-wise for the 300-pound gorilla of sports.  

“The fanbase gets more and more rabid every year. And the storylines get more intriguing every year,” McManus said. “So it’s a freight train going down the tracks. It’s just gaining speed, and gaining momentum, every single year.

The NFL’s TV partners CBS, NBC Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video pay a premium for access to the entertainment equivalent of beachfront property. Last year, these companies signed media deals worth $110 billion over 11 years — nearly double the size of previous contracts. 

In return, networks get a magnet for viewers, advertisers, and affiliates that serves as the financial linchpin of their operations. 

Here are some reasons why the NFL is King, according to McManus:

Non-stop media coverage: The NFL gets far more media coverage than MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, or other pro sports. Add in the non-stop promotion by networks like ESPN and NFL Network, the Shield is omnipresent. 

Over the past couple of years, NFL TV networks have agreed to $1 billion in new contracts to secure top game announcers like Tony Romo and Jim Nantz of CBS, Troy Aikman and Joe Buck of ESPN and Tom Brady of Fox. 

“There’s nothing like the NFL. There’s a story about the NFL 365 days a year,” McManus said.

Year-round sport: There is no offseason any more, noted McManus. Whether it’s the NFL Draft, NFL Combine, or daily news out of summer training camps, the NFL is a 24/7, 365-day obsession. 

Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft on April 28 drew a combined average viewership of 10 million across ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. “Everybody wants to follow it,” McManus said.

Sudden death: Unlike most sports, NFL Playoff games are single elimination. “Every game is important. Every playoff game is a win-or-go-home game unlike the other sports, which are  best-of-five or best-of-seven,” McManus noted. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” has reigned as the most-watched TV show in prime time for a record 11 straight years. Said McManus: “Every game during the regular season is important because there’s only 17 of them.”

The same dynamics that make the NFL a juggernaut also apply to College Football. The difference is the NFL is far better managed and marketed than the decentralized sport of college football. It’s no surprise the Big Ten Conference is following the NFL’s blueprint and trying to become the “NFL of college conferences.”

As Fox Sports’ Mike Mulvihill noted on Twitter: “TV usage keeps going down, football viewing keeps going up. Receding tide that doesn’t lower every boat.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) breaks up a pass intended for Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown (85) on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won the game, 27-18.

Amazon Shatters Previous Ratings High for 1st NFL Game

“TNF” viewership surges 35% compared to the 2024 season average.
Las Vegas Aces

WNBA Playoffs Face ESPN Fall Crunch For Final Time

The games will be spread across three networks next year.

Ken Rosenthal: I Apologized to Photog After Knocking Him Over

Rosenthal backpedaled into the photographer to avoid a Gatorade shower.
Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow Out for Months After Bengals’ Pricey Offseason

Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are the highest-paid WR duo in NFL history.

Featured Today

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.

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.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
Jul 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Injured Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on from the bench during the first half of a basketball game against the Chicago Sky at United Center.

WNBA Ratings Rise 3% in 2025 Despite Clark’s Absence

Caitlin Clark played in just 13 of 44 regular-season games.
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) pursues Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) during the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.
September 12, 2025

College Football Enters Week 3 Up 21% in TV Ratings

Total college football viewership across all networks is up big.
September 15, 2025

Chiefs’ Fall to 0–2 Dims the Spotlight on NFL’s Top TV Draw

The NFL’s most-watched team sinks to a new low since Patrick Mahomes arrived.
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.
Sep 6, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; General view of a Fox Sports camera station before the game between the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field.
September 11, 2025

Lachlan Murdoch on Fox’s Sports Strategy, FanDuel Plans

The executive calls a forthcoming streaming bundle with ESPN “essential” for fans.
September 5, 2025

NFL’s Expected Early-Season Ratings Boost Gets Off to a Stormy Start

The kickoff game somewhat resembles the delays last year in an SNF game.
September 4, 2025

TNT Sports to Try Its Own Streaming App After WBD Split

TNT Sports will have its own app as a corporate split approaches.
Eagles
September 4, 2025

The Death of Streameast Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

Mirror sites began popping up Thursday, the day the NFL season begins.