• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
    More
    Nominations Are Open for Front Office Sports Honors! Submit Now
    Media

    NFL Viewership Sees 2% Increase in First Two Weeks of 2023 Season

    • With 17.5 million average viewers, the NFL is experiencing its highest viewership since 2018.
    • Since the start of the 2023 campaign, NFL games account for the top 11 most-watched shows across TV and digital.
    By
    Sep 20, 2023 | 12:03 pm
    Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is tripped up by New York Jets defensive end Solomon Thomas in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium.
    Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

    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.

    Linkedin
    Whatsapp
    Copy Link
    Link Copied
    Link Copied

    What to Read
    by

    Women’s College Hoops Is Growing. But Caitlin Clark Was an Anomaly
    Final Four viewership fell by 64% after Clark’s last year in college.
    Northwestern
    by

    Northwestern Settling Hazing Lawsuits As Fitzgerald Case Continues
    Former coach Pat Fitzgerald is suing the school for $130 million.
    by

    NFL Gives Fans What They Want: More Throwback Uniform Games
    The league approved an expansion of the usage of popular alternate uniforms.
    Monica McNutt
    by

    Monica McNutt Reflects on Viral Stephen A. Smith Exchange 10 Months Later
    “This is layered for me,” McNutt said at the FOS event in Tampa.

    Featured Today

    The pin flag on the second green flaps in the wind during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
    by

    Inside The Masters: Traditions, Restrictions, and Gnomes
    How the most exclusive major employs its own strict rules and operations.
    Mar 16, 2023; Sacramento, CA, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Kobe Brown (24) reacts after scoring a basket agianst the Utah State Aggies during the second half at Golden 1 Center.
    exclusive
    April 6, 2025

    ‘It’s On Principle’: NBA Players On Filing for House Settlement Checks
    The checks are relatively small. That’s not the point, players say.
    Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) before playing against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center.
    April 5, 2025

    As College Basketball Teams Got Older, Duke Embraced the Fountain of Youth
    How the Blue Devils went old-school in the transfer portal era.
    Mar 1, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) and center Olivier Rioux (32) and guard Alijah Martin (15) and forward Thomas Haugh (10) huddle after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center
    April 4, 2025

    How Florida Built a Final Four Roster With ‘Under-Recruited’ Players
    “We’ve never gotten a single player because we’re the highest bidder.”

    More in Media
    by

    College Volleyball’s Audience Is Spiking—and Networks Are Noticing
    Women’s college volleyball is booming as networks and fans embrace the sport.
    Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and forward Sarah Strong (21) react on the bench during the fourth quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the UCLA Bruins at Amalie Arena.
    April 5, 2025

    Women’s Final Four Delivers Nearly 4M Viewers, Still 64% Drop
    Both of this year’s games were blowouts, which didn’t help returns.
    April 6, 2025

    Auriemma and Staley: Women’s Hoops Should Have Its Own TV Deal
    The current TV deal is tied with 39 other NCAA championships.
    Sponsored

    How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture
    As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
    hard-knocks-2020
    April 3, 2025

    NFL Expands ‘Hard Knocks’ Pool of Teams: Who’s Eligible for 2025?
    The NFL is relaxing rules surrounding its reality TV show.
    NWSL
    April 2, 2025

    NWSL Could Make Tens of Millions Selling New TV Games
    Almost 200 games are up for grabs over the next two years.
    Feb 2, 2025; Pebble Beach, California, USA; Rory McIlroy (right) is interviewed by CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz (left) on the 18th hole during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
    April 2, 2025

    Final Four Snags Jim Nantz’s Masters Plan Even After Retirement
    Nantz’s final NCAA tournament on the call for CBS was in 2023.
    April 1, 2025

    March Madness Ratings Dip After Record Start: Will Final Four Deliver?
    Viewership had been at a record pace through the opening rounds.