The NFL media machine keeps on churning.
Through two weeks of the new season, NFL games are averaging 17.5 million viewers across linear television and digital streaming — a 2% increase from 2022 and the highest average through two weeks since 2018.
Additionally, since the start of the 2023 campaign, NFL games account for the top 11 most-watched shows across TV and digital.
This includes the season opener between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs (26.9M), and the Week 2 matchup between the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys (25.9M), which was the most-watched program on any linear TV network since the Super Bowl, per CBS.
The “Monday Night Football” season premiere between the Buffalo Bills and the Jets (22.6M) — which included Aaron Rodgers’ debut and season-ending injury — came in third. Disney is paying $2.7 billion to show 21 NFL primetime games this season, the most in company history.
Football — and live sports in general — will continue to be a key piece to the major media companies’ strategies amidst the ongoing Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes.
![[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Sep 5, 2025; Sao Paulo, BRAZIL; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) runs against Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) in the second half during a NFL game at Corinthians Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jean Carniel/Reuters via Imagn Images](https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/USATSI_27010640_168422351_lowres-e1776342969670.jpg?quality=100&w=1024)