The National Football League has reported a blockbuster 2025 regular season, attracting television and digital audiences at a level not seen in decades. The league announced an average of 18.7 million viewers per game, representing a substantial 10% increase from the 2024 season and securing its position as the second-highest average viewership since records began in 1988.
Broadcasters and Streaming Services See Major Gains
Every one of the league's weekly broadcast packages enjoyed a rise in viewers, underscoring the sport's widespread appeal. Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football" led the charge with a remarkable 16% year-on-year increase. Since becoming the exclusive home for Thursday games in 2022, the audience for these matches has grown by an astonishing 60%.
CBS also reported a double-digit jump of 11%, while ESPN/ABC's "Monday Night Football" and NBC's "Sunday Night Football" both saw 9% growth. Fox completed the set with a solid 6% increase in its audience numbers.
Record-Breaking Games and Network Performance
The season was punctuated by several historic viewing events. The Thanksgiving Day clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys on CBS became the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history, drawing a colossal 57.23 million viewers. On November 27th alone, the game generated 11.7 billion viewing minutes.
CBS emerged as the top network overall, averaging 21.25 million viewers for its slate of games—its best regular-season performance on record. Meanwhile, NBC's "Sunday Night Football" averaged 23.5 million viewers, putting it on track to be primetime's top-rated show for an incredible 15th consecutive year.
The Streaming Factor and Measurement Changes
The NFL's continued dominance is also a significant driver for streaming platforms. Data from October showed Peacock saw a 16% viewing increase, with Paramount Plus and Prime Video also posting notable gains. Part of the overall viewership rise can be attributed to Nielsen's updated measurement methodology, which since September has used its Big Data + Panel system and now includes out-of-home viewers in all states except Hawaii and Alaska.
With the regular season concluded, the league's momentum shows no sign of slowing. All eyes now turn to the playoffs and Super Bowl LIX on February 8th, which is expected to be the most-watched television event of the season.
