Say what you want about the NFL, but they know how to package and sell their product.
According to multiple reports, viewership is up for the second straight year as ratings increased by 5% during the regular season, with an average of 16.5 million viewers per game.
The 2019 regular season was the most-watched season since 2016, which is interesting when you realize that’s when Colin Kaepernick started his peaceful protest which was capped off with an unforgettable Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons.
The Dallas Cowboys (3) and the Patriots (2) led the way when it came to the two franchises that played in the five most-watched games this season, as Buffalo at Dallas (Week 13, CBS) had 32.6 million viewers, Dallas at New England (Week 12, Fox) had 29.9 million viewers, Kansas City at New England (Week 14, CBS) had 28.3 million viewers, Chicago at Detroit (Week 13, Fox) had 27.1 million viewers, and Dallas at Philadelphia (Week 16, Fox) had 25.7 million people tuned in.
The rich get richer.
NFL ratings boost could raise TV broadcast fees for media deals https://t.co/6OnYaW14J3 via @upi
— Al Butler (@ALaboutSports) January 2, 2020
In terms of network viewership, Fox saw its Thursday and Sunday games increase by 7%, while it’s Sunday afternoon games went up by 10% from last season. ESPN’s Monday Night Football had a 6% increase, NBC’s Sunday Night Football was up by 4%, and CBS had a 4% increase.
And according to a report from Front Office Sports, the Madden Esports League saw a steady growth alongside the NFL, as more than $700,000 was awarded during EA’s December Madden 20 Club Championship tournament.
