NFL sets Week 1 ratings record, averages 21M viewers per game - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — The NFL averaged 21.0 million viewers per game during the league's opening week, making it the most-watched Week 1 on record.

The league and Nielsen said Wednesday morning that the per-game average on TV and digital platforms was a 12% increase over last year.

All told, 123 million people saw at least part of one game, its highest total for an opening week since 2019.

«A great start with the viewership. It was great to be back and a lot to be excited about,» said Hans Schroeder, the executive vice president of NFL Media.

NBC had the most-watched game, with the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs' 27-20 victory over the Ravens in last Thursday's opener averaging 29.2 million on TV and digital.

It was NBC's second-largest regular-season game since 2006, when it acquired the «Sunday Night Football» package. The Sunday night game between the Lions and the Rams, which Detroit won 26-20 in overtime, averaged 22.7 million, a 3% jump from last year.

Tom Brady's first game as Fox's top analyst — the Cowboys' 33-17 win over the Browns — averaged 23.93 million. The six games that were part of Fox's doubleheader (four early, two late) averaged 18.64 million, making it the network's best start since 2020.

This was the first time since 2020 that Fox solely had the Sunday afternoon doubleheader in Week 1. Both CBS and Fox carried two games apiece on the opening Sunday the past three seasons.

CBS averaged 17.79 million for its six games, its most watched Week 1 singleheader since it reacquired NFL rights in 1998. Most of CBS' affiliates had games in the 1 p.m. EDT window, but New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Pittsburgh got Jim Harbaugh's first game as coach of the Chargers against the Raiders at 4:05 p.m. EDT.

New York,