Ratings for the NFL Skyrocket in Response to Adjustments Made by Nielsen in Television Measurement
The 2025-26 NFL season has made a strong start, with networks and streamers averaging 20.7 million viewers per game - a 4% increase compared to last season and 17% versus this juncture in fall 2023. This upward trend was particularly evident in the opening week, as NBC's annual Kickoff Game attracted 28.3 million viewers, making it the second-biggest season opener on record.
However, the inconsistencies in the new Nielsen currency may lead to some NFL windows missing their upfront pricing targets, resulting in elevated make-good obligations for the networks. Despite this, the new methodology has proven to be beneficial, as evidenced by the Fox game between the Eagles and Chiefs last Sunday.
The game, which was the league's all-time biggest audience for a Week 2 outing, initially averaged 32,657,000 live-same-day viewers when using the old method of counting the house. The application of the new Nielsen Big Data + Panel methodology unearthed an additional 1.11 million viewers for Fox, bringing the total viewership for the game to 34,779,000 viewers.
This game was not only a record-breaker for Week 2 but also the most-watched regular-season Sunday game in Fox's 32-year history as an NFL broadcast partner. The game's viewership even surpassed the 20 million mark in the 1 p.m. ET slot during a seven-hour doubleheader, a feat that is exceedingly rare.
The Eagles' victory over the Chiefs was not just a triumph on the field but also a ratings success off it. The game was the league's all-time biggest audience for a Week 2 outing, and the Fox game between the Eagles and Chiefs is now the most-watched regular-season Sunday game in Fox's 32-year history as an NFL broadcast partner.
The 3% bump in viewership from the new method is greater than the full-season averages for 11 of Fox's primetime entertainment shows during the 2024-25 TV season, indicating a positive impact of the new Nielsen currency on NFL broadcasts. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how these trends continue to unfold.
Read also:
- United States tariffs pose a threat to India, necessitating the recruitment of adept negotiators or strategists, similar to those who had influenced Trump's decisions.
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Southwest region's most popular posts, accompanied by an inquiry:
- Discussion between Putin and Trump in Alaska could potentially overshadow Ukraine's concerns
