NFL averages 17.9M viewers in 2023, up 7% from previous year - ESPN

NFL regular-season games averaged 17.9 million viewers in 2023, tied for the second highest since averages were first tracked in 1995.

Buoyed by increases of at least 24% in two of the five packages, the first year of the league's new television contracts saw a total increase of 7% from last season.

The highest average on record is 18.1 million from the 2015 season.

Hans Schroeder, the league's executive vice president of media distribution, pointed to the number of teams still alive for the postseason going into the final two weeks along with close games throughout the 18-week regular season. Of the 272 games, 113 were decided by six or fewer points, the second-most in league history.

Over the past two seasons, 55.8% of games have been within one score (eight points).

«It starts on the field. You look at the number of close games as well as the number of young stars like CJ Stroud and old stars like Matthew Stafford that probably didn't get enough coverage,» Schroeder said. «If you look at that as well as combine with the first year of these new TV packages and some of the flexibility they had, I think that is why the numbers are where they are this year.»

Four of the five broadcast and streaming networks saw increases in their overall packages.

'Monday Night' milestone

«Monday Night Football,» the NFL's original prime-time package, had its best season since 2000, averaging 17.36 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC for a whopping 29% increase.

With no new original fall programming due to the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, ABC broadcast games all 18 weeks of the regular season — 11 more compared to 2022 — instead of just nine over eight weeks as originally set when the schedule was announced in early May.