NFL viewership is still a positive story to tell heading into Week 6, despite the league taking its first notable hit of the season.
The good news is NFL broadcasts (not including the Week 1 Peacock exclusive) are averaging 17.5 million viewers per game—up 1% from 2023 and still the highest mark since 2015.
The bad news is that, after the NFL’s best September in nine years, most broadcast windows in Week 5 had smaller TV audiences than they did in 2023, according to Sports Media Watch. A variety of factors led to the Week 5 dip, particularly in prime time.
A Cowboys-Steelers matchup would normally draw huge TV numbers, but a 90-minute weather delay to kickoff meant the 20–17 Dallas victory wasn’t over until nearly 1 a.m. ET. The 20.3 million people who tuned in to NBC was the lowest Sunday Night Football audience of the season, and down 23% from Cowboys-49ers in Week 5 last year.
ESPN got the ratings juggernaut Chiefs on Monday Night Football for the first time this season, but the audience of 15.91 million for Kansas City’s 26–13 win over the Saints was down from 17.38 million viewers in Week 5 last year for Packers-Raiders, which had the benefit of being simulcast on ABC.
The 49ers visit the Seahawks to kick off Week 6 on Thursday Night Football, which is averaging 14.17 million viewers on Amazon Prime Video, up 5% from the same point in the 2023 season.
Staying Flexible
Flex scheduling is now in play for NFL games. Up to two games can be moved to SNF between Weeks 5 and 10. This week, NBC has the Bengals (1–4) at the Giants (2–3), after reportedly getting blocked by CBS from taking the Commanders (4–1) at Ravens (3–2) game, which will air at 1 p.m. ET.
This season, for the first time, MNF has flex scheduling, beginning in Week 12. ESPN’s lead NFL analyst Troy Aikman thinks that will be in play for Week 13’s Browns-Broncos game. “Cleveland at Denver, that may end up being a flex, is what it’s looking like,” Aikman said on Wednesday’s episode of Pardon My Take.
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