NFL TV Ratings Hit 9-Year High: 18.6M Average Through Week 3

More people are watching the NFL than at any point since 2015.

Through three weeks of the regular season, the league reports all games outside of the Peacock exclusive (Packers-Eagles in Week 1) have averaged 18.6 million viewers. That’s 10% higher than the average through three weeks of the 2023 season, which did not include an exclusive streaming broadcast. And the NFL hasn’t seen a first-three-weeks viewership figure this high since the 2015 season, then its 50th season in the Super Bowl era.

Not surprisingly, the Chiefs’ 3–0 start has featured three of the five most-watched games, as Kansas City’s star players continue to drum up interest off the field. The Cowboys, despite a 1–2 record thus far, have played in the other two. 

Dallas opens Week 4 against the Giants on Thursday night, which should give a boost to Amazon. Both Thursday Night Football game broadcasts on Prime Video so far have actually seen slight, single-digit percentage viewership drops compared to Amazon’s first two games last season.

Also on the docket this weekend is Tom Brady calling his first game involving a former team, as Fox heads to Tampa at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday for the Eagles-Buccaneers tilt. CBS gets the must-see-TV Chiefs again in the late-afternoon window at the Chargers. The 3–0 Bills visit the Ravens on Sunday night on NBC, while ABC and ESPN have another Monday night doubleheader.