NFL Week 1 Ratings Fall 13% Despite New Broadcast Schedule
The league saw a surprisingly sharp drop in viewership.
The NFL's new broadcast schedule for the 2026 season's opening week did not deliver the audience growth the league hoped for. The average per-game viewership dropped by 13% compared to last year's opening week, and 9% compared to 2024. However, this figure still placed the NFL third in terms of viewership for opening weeks over the past decade, only behind the two most recent seasons. Despite a series of adjustments to the Week 1 schedule, the overall viewership figure remained a 13% decline compared to the prior year.
Changes were made to the Week 1 schedule, including a Wednesday kickoff between the Patriots and Seahawks, aimed at accommodating the 49ers-Rams game from Australia the following night. NBC experienced an 11% drop in viewership for the opener, while Netflix remained flat for the Melbourne game. Fox and CBS both aired a "double-doubleheader" on Sunday afternoon, with one game starting at 1 p.m. ET and the other at 4:25 p.m. ET, compared to CBS's sole late afternoon slot last year.
As a result, CBS saw a 22% decline in the late afternoon game between the Vikings and Packers, but still led the doubleheader overall.
Despite the initial dip in ratings, some milestones were achieved. NBC Sports saw a 4% increase in viewership for its Sunday Night Football matchup between the Cowboys and Giants, marking the best audience for a Week 1 SNF game since 2015. ESPN also reached its best-ever Week 1 Monday Night Football game in its 20-year history, and its third-highest rated MNF game ever.
The NFL remains the most-watched programming on U.S. television, and even with the recent declines, the league claimed eight of the top ten viewership figures for the week. Week 2, beginning on Thursday, will feature Amazon Prime Video's coverage of the high-profile Lions-Bills game from the new $2.2 billion Highmark Stadium, as well as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs hosting a primetime SNF game against the Colts.
ESPN will also broadcast another high-profile matchup for Monday Night Football, with the Giants facing the Super Bowl LVI favorites Rams.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
