NFL Network’s Initial ESPN Preseason Ratings Rise 3%
Rams-Chiefs averaged a Week 1-high 2.38 million viewers.
The NFL Network's first preseason under ESPN ownership commenced with six national game broadcasts in Week 1, which averaged 1.93 million viewers. Last year's Week 1 preseason on NFL Network had eight games, averaging 2.1 million viewers, marking an all-time high. This year's ratings, using Nielsen's Big Data + Panel methodology, are up about 3% compared to last year's 1.88 million viewers for the comparable six non-Sunday games.
ESPN acquired NFL Network on April 1, making all NFL Network preseason game broadcasts available on the ESPN app for subscribers of ESPN Unlimited. The Rams-Chiefs game, with 2.38 million viewers, became NFL Network's most-watched Week 1 preseason game since 2015, surpassing last year's Dolphins-Bears game (2.34 million viewers).
The 2025 preseason averaged 2.2 million viewers per game across all networks, a 17% increase from 2024 and the best mark since 2018. NFL Network has seven more national game broadcasts in Week 2, which begins Thursday night.
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