Network and NFL executives anticipated that ratings would rise this season. Many were still surprised by the pace of the first four weeks.
The average game viewer is 17.3 million on TV and digital. This is a staggering 17% increase over the previous season and 3% more than two years ago.
It remains to be seen if the league can sustain this level of growth. Last season was played in empty stadiums during the pandemic. Many people also changed their viewing habits during a presidential election year.
Since the beginning of the season, the league has had 21 top-rated shows. Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champ Tampa Bay Buccaneers were featured in the top two games. Brady's return from New England was the most popular, attracting an average of 26.7 million viewers. The season opener against Dallas at 24.8 millions was second.
Since 2006, when NBC began airing "Sunday Night Football", the Bucs-Patriots match was the second most-watched game.
Pete Bevacqua, chairman of NBC Sports Group said that "I believe the league is firing on all cylinders right now." "Although last year was a great achievement in getting the season in on time, you can see the benefits of full stadiums, as well as the passion and power that fans bring.
"We have had fantastic matchups on paper but they have been incredible on the field."
Fourteen of five league broadcasters saw growth exceeding 20%. The average Thursday night game on NFL Network was 8.1 million. This is 29% more than last season and the highest average number since 2018. Last Thursday's Jacksonville-Cincinnati game averaged 8.5 million, the best showing for a non-Fox or CBS-shared game since the Cleveland Browns-New York Jets contest in 2018.
NBC's package stands at 23.1million, an increase in 24% and its highest average at this stage of the season since 2015. Both CBS (17.87million) and ESPN's Monday Night Football (14.2million) have seen 22% increases.
Fox's Sunday afternoon average is 18 million. This is a 2% increase from last season. Fox didn't have an exclusive doubleheader during Week 1, which could explain why there wasn't as much of a ratings boost.
The increases are also due to close games. A league record 15 of 64 games have been decided in overtime or regulation, with a win rate of over 90%. All but 23 games were within one point in the fourth quarter.
