NFL viewership is trending at multi-year highs for four of the league’s five media rights

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Through seven weeks, this season ranks as the most-watched in eight years on both NBC (21.1M per Nielsen, 22.9M including Adobe Analytics) and CBS (18.1M). With ABC simulcasting games all season, ESPN’s Monday Night Football is having its most-watched season (15.5M) since the end of the original ABC era in 2005 (15.8M). As previously noted, Amazon Prime is also posting a multi-year high for its Thursday Night Football coverage (12.9M).

As with all multi-year highs, keep in mind that out-of-home viewing was not included in Nielsen viewership estimates prior to 2020.

All four outlets scored increases in Week 7 of the season. CBS had its most-watched Week 7 since its return to NFL coverage in 1998, averaging a 19.73 million for its doubleheader. The late window (mostly Chargers-Chiefs) averaged a 12.3 rating and 24.38 million viewers, marking the largest Week 7 audience on any network since 2015 on FOX (Cowboys-Giants: 24.47M) and up 6% and 9% respectively from last year (mostly Chiefs-49ers: 11.6, 22.29M). The early window (mostly Bills-Patriots) scored an 8.4 (+15%) and 15.69 million (+17%).

NBC placed second for the week with a 10.7 rating and 20.61 million (22.4M including Adobe Analytics) for Dolphins-Eagles on Sunday Night Football, up 27% in ratings and a third in viewership from Steelers-Dolphins last year (8.5, 15.53M). Three of the past four SNF windows have increased double-digits from last year.

Despite facing Game 7 of the MLB American League Championship Series, Monday Night Football (49ers-Vikings) averaged a 10.1 rating and 18.61 million viewers across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 — up 54% in ratings and 57% in viewership from Bears-Patriots on the ESPN cable networks last season (6.5, 11.83M) and the most-watched Week 7 edition of MNF since at least 2000.

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