NFL’s International Games Surge Means Pregame Show Ratings Hit

The NFL's growing international game schedule, played in Europe this season, is driving viewership spikes for pregame shows. NFL Network's four games in October averaged 7.1 million viewers, up 18% from the 6.2 million average during the 2025 season. The Paris game between the Steelers and Saints was the most-watched international game, drawing 7.7 million viewers.

The London games this season averaged 6.9 million viewers, a 19% increase over last year's three London games. The NFL Network will broadcast one more Sunday morning international game in Madrid on Nov. 8. Fox will conclude the season with a European game in Munich on Nov. 15. Netflix's U.S. viewership for the NFL's debut game in Australia, 49ers-Rams, averaged 18.5 million viewers.

CBS drew the largest audience for an international game in Week 3, with 24.9 million viewers for Ravens-Cowboys. NBC will hold the final international game of the 2026 season in Mexico City on Nov. 22. The NFL Today on CBS averaged 3.63 million viewers during weeks 1-3 and 2.95 million viewers during weeks 4-7 when international games were played.

The week 4 and 5 broadcasts were up compared to last year, while weeks 6 and 7 saw a decline. Overall, The NFL Today is averaging 3.22 million viewers, a 9% increase from the first seven weeks last year. Fox NFL Sunday averaged 4.79 million viewers from weeks 1-3 and 4.12 million viewers from weeks 4-5, though week 6-7 figures are not yet available.

CBS and Fox's pregame shows overlap with the tail end of Sunday morning international games, with the Eagles-Jaguars game extending past 1 p.m. and the Texans-Jaguars game ending at 12:53 p.m. ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown averaged 1.43 million viewers during weeks 1-3 and 737,000 viewers in weeks 4-7, averaging 1.03 million viewers per broadcast, a 2% increase from 2025.