Topline
According to NBC, 26 million Americans watched the NFL's regular-season kickoff match between the Dallas Cowboys (defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers) on Thursday. This is a 20% increase over last year. Football continues to attract large audiences to television despite a decline in viewership.
Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' player, receives the ball from Tom Brady during the first quarter. [+] against Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on September 9, 2021. Getty Images
The Key Facts
According to preliminary Nielsen figures and digital data provided by NBC, the game saw the Bucs defeat the Cowboys 31-30. According to NBC, Thursday's game was the most-watched NFL regular-season kickoff ever since 2015. That game drew an average audience of 27.4 millions viewers. NBC reports that viewership has increased by roughly 20% over last year's kickoff game. 21.6 million viewers watched the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs ring in an NFL season marred by Covid-related postponements.
Tangent
The game was viewed more in Dallas than any other major television market. The average number of households in Dallas that own a TV reflected the amount of people who watched the game. It received a 29.1 rating. Tampa was the third largest market in the game (24.6), ranking after San Antonio and Providence. Boston and Boston were the fourth and sixth largest markets respectively, probably due to Bucs quarterback Tom Brady's two-decade tenure with the New England Patriots.
Important Background
The last year and a half has seen television ratings drop due to Covid-19 disruptions as well as stiff competition from streaming services. Last fall's MLB World Series saw record ratings, and this year's Academy Awards had the lowest viewership in history. The 2020 and 2021 NBA Finals also drew smaller audiences that in pre-pandemic years, and the Olympic Opening Ceremony was watched by just over 10 million people from 2016 to 2021. Although the NFL saw a decline in ratings, with regular-season viewership dropping by 7% and Super Bowl ratings falling to their lowest levels since 2007, football still earns significantly more viewers than any other program on television. The value of live football has increased for U.S broadcasters. In fact, earlier this year, four of the largest US TV networks and Amazon agreed to pay more than $100 billion to the NFL over the next 11 years to broadcast the games.
Surprising Fact
Forbes estimates that the Cowboys are worth $6.5 Billion, making them the league's most valuable franchise. The Bucs are 21st among 32 NFL teams at $2.94 billion, but their value increased 29% in one season, faster than any other league team. Ticket and merchandise sales have soared since Brady's 2020 arrival and the 2021 Super Bowl win.
