Networks Get Mixed Results With Week 1 NFL Viewership
CBS sees some viewership attrition, while NBC rebounded on Sunday night.
The 2026 NFL season kicked off with a mix of viewership results across the major networks. NBC Sports saw a rise in viewers for its Week 1 Sunday Night Football matchup between the Cowboys and Giants, averaging 25.7 million viewers, a 4% increase from last year's Bills-Ravens game. However, CBS Sports faced a 22% drop in viewership for its late Sunday afternoon national game between the Packers and Vikings, averaging 18.6 million viewers compared to last year's comparable Lions-Packers game.
CBS's audience was boosted by a strong early 14.1 million viewers for the Bills' victory over the Texans. Fox, on the other hand, led with a larger viewership in the late-afternoon window, averaging 20.3 million viewers for its Commanders-Eagles game, though CBS still won the Sunday doubleheader with an overall average of 16.4 million viewers.
The streaming platform Netflix faced criticism from Fox Sports president Mike Mulvihill, who accused Netflix of alienating longtime fans by exclusively airing games on its platform, despite Netflix's Thursday Night Football package setting the record for the largest percentage audience viewership increase among full-season NFL rights holders last year.
ESPN's viewership numbers for its debut Monday Night Football game featuring Patrick Mahomes, who returned from two torn knee ligaments, have yet to be released. Overall, the mixed viewership numbers suggest a challenging path for the NFL to replicate its record-breaking 2025 season, which was the league's highest viewership since 1989.
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