Sept. 11 (UPI) — An average of 21 million viewers per game tuned in to NFL matchups in Week 1, setting a viewership record for the opening-week slate, the league announced Wednesday.
A total of 123 million viewers watched NFL games, the highest total audience for a Week 1 slate since 2019. The 21 million average viewers per game — from TV and digital platforms and the most on record — is up 12% compared to 2023.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Baltimore Ravens, which launched the NFL season, and the Detroit Lions’ win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football — both of which aired on NBC — averaged 25 million viewers, the highest two-game kickoff weekend average since 2015.
Games that aired Sunday afternoon on CBS and Fox afternoon averaged 18.4 million viewers, the highest viewership mark since 2016.
The San Francisco 49ers-New York Jets matchup on Monday Night Football averaged 20.4 million viewers across ABC, ESPN+ and ESPN2. That average made the game the most-watched Week 1 Monday Night Football meeting since 2000.
The Miami Dolphins will host the Buffalo Bills in the first game of Week 2. That primetime matchup will kick off at 8:15 p.m. EDT Thursday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The Thursday Night Football broadcast will air on Prime Video.
