The NFL has owned Thanksgiving for years, becoming part of the tradition for families on Thursday. In Kansas City and Buffalo, the average Chiefs or Bills game outdraws that. Either way, Super Bowl LV between the eventual champion Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs represented the worst ratings for the big game since all the way back in 1969. Its the lowest average viewership for the game since 2006, when ESPN pulled in 5.96 million viewers. Explore what consumers are watching, playing and listening to around the world. 2023 NFL free agency: Ranking best free agent crops from every team as Eagles, Bills lead top-heavy list All the free agent crops ranked with the new league year set to begin in March 22.3 million tuned in on CBS to watch the Green Bay Packers battle the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the COVID-19 pandemic forced many postponed games in 2020 and cost the NFL billions in revenue, outbreaks across the league arent having the same impact in 2021. During the 2021 NFL regular season, there were 34 games decided by a game-winning score on the final play the most in a single season all-time while 49 games were decided by a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation or overtime tied for the most in a single season all-time. 2) Assuming #1 is yes; since the # of viewers was at least off by 50% (and most likely off by around 60% to 70%) from what would have happened if aired on Thanksgiving night, based on your industry knowledge, would the NFL throw NBC a bone by offering some sort of in-kind compensation? Looking ahead to Week 4, the first battle pitting Tom Brady against Bill Belichick could set an NFL TV ratings record in viewership for a regular-season game. Houston Texans. Monday Night Football was already the lesser football package for NFL games and the decline in viewership didnt help in 2020. The NFC continued to enjoy disproportionate representation on the ratings charts, as intra-conference games accounted for 36 of the year's most-watched broadcasts, while all-AFC meetings claimed 20 slots. After a strong finish to the regular season, the presence of marquee teams and legendary quarterbacks in the NFL Playoffs have provided a boost for viewership. LA Chargers -- 8.4931. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. 100 million viewers tuned in during the three-day opening slate. As Pro Football Talk notes, those numbers are all steep improvements from the 2021 NFL playoffs. It started out as nothing more than a niche event for the most hardcore of fans. While it was a dip from the Bills-Chiefs Week 5 game, that is partially due to the absence of Russell Wilson. NY Giants -- 8.39. Week 4 concluded with ESPNs Monday Night Football broadcast, which averaged 12.6 million (Sports Media Watch) to watch the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. Meanwhile, Amazons Thursday Night Football scored another big increase. Seattle -- 31.41 9. Notably, Amazon is still excited about its partnership with the NFL. After NBC cashed in with a massive audience for the NFL Kickoff Game, its numbers dipped on Sunday Night Football. We saw NFL TV ratings in 2021 climb, with the leagues broadcasting partners and advertisers very happy with the returns. Its striking but unsurprising that even NFL Network pulled in more than double the best NBA TV ratings for ESPN. Teams in smaller markets now have an opportunity to grow their brands nationally and, better still, globally, says Stephen Master, SVP and Global Head of Sports, Nielsen. 2021 NFL Regular Season Averaged 17.1 Million Viewers, https://nflcommunications.com/Documents/NFL%202021%20Viewership.pdf, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys (Week 12, CBS) , Dallas Cowboys vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Week 11, FOX) , Cleveland Browns vs. Green Bay Packers (Week 16, FOX+NFLN) , Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions (Week 12, FOX) , Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New England Patriots (Week 4, NBC) , Arizona Cardinals vs. Dallas Cowboys (Week 17, FOX) , Los Angeles Rams vs. Green Bay Packers (Week 12, FOX) , Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Kickoff, NBC) , Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Week 9, FOX) , Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Week 2, CBS) . In comparison, the 2021 NFL Draft averaged 12.5 million viewers and the virtual 2020 NFL Draft averaged 15.3 million viewers. Pittsburgh -- 36.246. Thursday, March 2: DL, LBs Friday, March 3: DB, STs Saturday, March 4: QB, WR, TEs Sunday, March 5: OL, RBs. Packers-Cowboys delivered what was (at the time) the largest audience of the NFL season with more than 29 million viewers on FOX. The NFL scored across-the-board increases for its Sunday games in Week 13 of the season, while Thursday Night Football neared the ten million viewer mark for Bills-Patriots. Below, we look at NFL TV ratings from the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the latest updates on Super Bowl LVI and the Los Angeles Rams winning their first-ever title in Southern California, to the massive numbers in the early week of the new season. Carolina -- 19.1423. But if the league can grow ratings by 10% in these two market which is not a stretch in New York, which regularly hit those figures a decade ago it could add a full percentage point to its national viewership and would affect TV network revenue by tens of millions of dollars, TV network executives have said. We look forward to a strong finish with the upcoming postseason and Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.". Things didnt get much better the next day. Amazon is paying $1.1 billion per season for the next 10 years to exclusively broadcast Thursday Night Football. The broadcast network also notes that it is the third most-watched television broadcast in history. back in 1983. Meanwhile, the Jets placed just ahead of their MetLife Stadium roommates at number eight. It comes as no surprise that the highest NFL TV ratings in 2022 came when the Dallas Cowboys are playing. Can you explain the meaning behind the +/- for the rating and the viewers? Access to easy-to-read digital editions of weekly issues. The latest sports TV ratings news, covering every league from the NFL to the WNBA. As Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated also points out, a Saturday preseason game between the Steelers and Seattle Seahawks broadcasted on NFL Network pulled in a larger audience than Foxs broadcast of the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees. According to Sports Media Watch, viewership for Day 2 of the NFL Draft sat at 5.03 million with a 3.0 rating. Exclusively broadcasted on NFLF Network and its streaming services, the Colts-Cardinals broadcast averaged 12.62 million viewers. One of the roughest stories is in Pittsburgh. These three big markets are critically important to the leagues media business as the three combined make up roughly 12% of the U.S. television market. Braden Layer is set to return to the Gators after spending 2022 at Dayton. Throughout the season, there were 370 billion total minutes consumed which is up +18% vs. 2020 and the second-highest total on record behind only 2015. All professional sports franchisesnot just NFL teamshave an increasing ability to leverage different forms of media in order to connect with, activate and grow their respective fan bases. Throughout the season, there were 370 billion total minutes consumed which is . The most-watched Sunday prime-time game was when the Washington Football Team and Dallas Cowboys battled for the NFC East title in Week 17 of the 2012 campaign. The Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks averaged 2.924 million with the Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks averaging 4.933 million and the evening Los Angeles Lakers vs Brooklyn Nets matchup drew 5.75 million viewers. The Cowboys rout of the Vikings delivered one of the NFLs largest audiences all season with nearly 28 million viewers on CBS. These ratings consider not just talent under 25 but also the . Just a season ago, when the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs, Dallas had the leagues 17th-highest rating. viewers per game. To put this into perspective, the 2021 NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns drew an average of 9.91 million viewers (more on that later). The NFL national window hit a season-low and posted its first year-over-year decline of the season in Week 9, as the solo Rams-Buccaneers game was no match for Packers-Chiefs a year ago. Of note: Four teams posted local ratings over 40, including the Bills, Chiefs, Green Bay Packers (41.57 rating in the Milwaukee market) and the Saints (40.89 in New Orleans). Already a subscriber? "This year's schedule, highlighted by an enhanced regular season featuring 17 games, gave our broadcast partners the ability to provide fans with more football and incredible matchups than ever. It was their first regular-season game in Vegas with fans in attendance. NFL Games Ranked as 48 of the Top 50 Shows on TV During 2021 Regular Season, 370 Billion Total Minutes Consumed Throughout 2021 Regular Season . Here are the full viewership numbers for Week 12. Not much of that had to to with networks and their relationships with sponsors as a decline became obvious around around the football world. Mario Cristobal continues to replenish the Hurricanes' staff. With the league struggling revenue-wise due to COVID-19, seeing one of the lowest-rated Super Bowls in NFL history cant be seen as a great thing. That game drew 30.3 million viewers. According to statistics, The 1991 Redskins are ranked as the top team by Football Outsiders (from 1986 to the present). ESPN's Monday Night Football saw an increase of 16% over the 2020 regular season, leading the way as all NFL regular-season games saw a 10% boost in TV ratings year over year. What we do know is that the 2021 NBA Finals between the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks and upstart Phoenix Suns did not draw great ratings. We can also compare that to MLB, which drew just under 3.2 million viewers for its Field of Dreams game on Fox. The NBA owned Christmas for many years, with many effectively viewing NBA games on Christmas Day as the unofficial start of each basketball season. Houston -- 12.2628. 2 spot with 28.7 million viewers. On the whole, the league saw a 10 percent jump from 2020 to '21, and 21 of the league's 32 teams were up in local viewership versus last season. As for the comments, not sure why that is happening. The FOX broadcast finished with a 12.6 rating, one of its best numbers of the year, and it averaged a whopping 24.37 million viewers. The electrifying Odell Beckham, Jr. of the Giants, and his battles with Washington's new cornerback, Josh Norman, helped lead the team to ninth place in the category. That's a 38% decrease . A lot of this could have had to do with the game itself. Held in Las Vegas and viewed as a great event for those in attendance, it wasnt nearly as big of a hit for everyone at home. It was TV you couldn't stop watching if you tried, played by the two most-fervently watched teams in football. After NBC cashed in with a massive audience for the NFL Kickoff Game, its numbers dipped on Sunday Night Football. Sure all comparisons are to the similar weekend last season. Now, its a three-day event that shows just how popular the NFL is compared to the other three major North American professional sports leagues. And that's across the league's four television-network partners ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, TNT and the highest average since the NBA's 2013-14 season. NBC's "Sunday Night Football" is up 12% to 21.8 million viewers in the U.S. ESPN's "Monday Night Football" is pulling in 14.7 million viewers, a 17% gain. Its a brilliant move by Amazon, keeping football fans at home to buy things via Amazon Prime instead of going out to the store. FOX and ESPN/ABC both scored multi-year highs in Week 3 of the NFL season, with FOX scoring the largest Week 3 audience on any network since 2014 and ESPN/ABC drawing the top Week 3 Monday night audience since 2000. 1 sport in the United States. Cord-cutting might play one factor in the declining ratings across television. As Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated also points out, a Saturday preseason game between the Steelers and Seattle Seahawks broadcasted on NFL Network pulled in a larger audience than Foxs broadcast of the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees. As long as we're asking humans to complete this fundamentally thankless task, there's room at the table for people who really know ball. Streaming, betting companies bolster NFL ad market, Measure of Success: Churchill Downs Race Tracks Sponsorship Strategy Sponsored by IEG, The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast: Episode 76 -- RSN Armageddon, Up and Down: Womens hoops on ESPN, WBD RSNs, Pac-12 rights and LIV Golf, Who's Up and Down: Adam Silver, Fox's NASCAR ads, Major League Baseball. Week 8 and Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season have lined up with the World Series between the Houston Astros vs Philadelphia Phillies. Said game peaked at 50.23 million viewers toward the end. This just goes to show us that the NFL is still Americas pastime. Notably, Amazon is still excited about its partnership with the NFL. Is it compared to the previous weeks game numbers or how are those calculated? The largest Week 1 total since 2016. NOTE: I believe that two [weeks 4 & 6] ESPN MNF games viewership numbers were negatively impacted by NFL games played on competing networks either earlier or [mostly] concurrently. This chart does not include ratings from week 3 because TVB did not post them. In 2020, the SNF opener between the Cowboys and Rams averaged 18.94 million viewers with a 10.4 rating. On Monday night, ESPNs broadcast and stream pulled in 12.52 million viewers (SportsMediaWatch). New England -- 31.478. According to Fox Sports, the 113 million that tuned in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles was the most-watched Super Bowl in six years. Access is available for NFL Network subscribers of participating TV providers. Below are the ratings and average audience size for the nationally-broadcasted NFL games in Week 8, via SportsMediaWatch. The Manningcast returned after a brief hiatus and the level of fan interest was greater than ever. It marked the smallest audience for Rounds 2-3 since the 2018 NFL Draft (4.79 million). All rights reserved. Two questions. Strange circumstances brought Martin and Malzahn together, but now the pair are united for a second time. 232 billion total minutes consumed. Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft averaged 10.03 million viewers with a 5.6 rating. The NFL is trying things every year to try and make the Pro Bowl a little more exciting and competitive. ABC Ratings: NBA, PGA Tour, NHL and more by Paulsen 24 hours ago NASCAR No crash, but caution flag out for Daytona 500 ratings Paulsen 3 days ago XFL XFL 3.0 off to much slower start than predecessors 4 days ago NBA So many storylines. Hi week 14 MNF was Arizona Cardinals and LA Rams, not 9ers. Indianapolis -- 24.31, 2020 NFC Championship: 23.117. Buccaneers-Cowboys was easily the top ratings draw in Week 1 of the NFL season, averaging a 12.3 rating and 23.3 million viewers (25 million including additional streaming data not tracked by Nielsen). On the penultimate NFL Sunday of the 2021 season, the Pro Bowl delivered its worst ratings in 16 years. Its a steep fall from the historic pull generated by Tom Bradys return to Gillette Stadium, but NBC and the NFL continue to dominate whenever games are broadcasted. During a season when they won the NFC East, the Cowboys local TV ratings in the Dallas-Fort Worth market were the ninth-highest in the NFL. Of the three exclusive TNF broadcasts on NFL Network last season, only one exceeded 6 million viewers. In comparison, the 2021 NFL Draft averaged 12.5 million viewers and the virtual 2020 NFL Draft averaged 15.3 million viewers. Theres a good chance that the lack of parties due to the COVID-19 pandemic played a role, too. Buffalo -- 47.162. It was an ugly game, but the intrigue and the close score kept an audience around. Putting the 5.81 million viewers into perspective, take a look at how NBA games on Christmas Day 2021 performed. [stnvideo key="IAwLfFE38G . NFL teams anticipate the salary cap seeing nearly $20 million per season in the years ahead. The NFL signed TV rights contracts worth more than $100 billion before the 2021 season and everyone is quickly cashing in. Of the 30 most-watched television broadcasts of all-time in the United States, 29 have been Super Bowls. Among the NFL teams that appeared in the top 100 with the greatest frequency were Green Bay, Dallas, Tampa and Kansas City. The NFL TV ratings should climb nicely during the regular season. The past 12 NBA Finals games have seen a total of 106 million viewers tune in on television and through streaming services. Strong performances for Bills-Chiefs on CBS and Cowboys-Eagles on NBC led Week 6 of the NFL season, while Amazon Prime saw another low for a second-straight snoozer. The Nielsen ratings from Sunday night, per Variety.com, revealed that the Week 2 clash between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs averaged 16.1 million viewers and received a 4.8 demo rating. According to Sports Media Watch, the broadcast on NBC averaged 5.48 million viewers with a total of 5.7 million when Including streaming services not accounted for by Nielsen. According to SportsMediaWatch, the Thursday Night Football opener averaged an estimated 7.33 million viewers on the NFLs exclusive TV network. Its also worth considering that the 2022 Hall of Fame induction doesnt include any all-time greats with massive name appeal. 1. It was their first regular-season game in Vegas with fans in attendance. You should be able to go to the next page. In comparing to the NFL, theres really no competition here. NBC announced its Sunday Night Football Week 3 broadcast averaged 21.1 million viewers across NBC TV, Peacock, and the NBC and NFL digital platforms. Its the second-most watched Championship Sunday since 2015 and both broadcasts are the most-watched programs since Super Bowl LV. Contracts worth more than a niche event for the comments, not.! 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