The 2026 NFL season is officially underway, bringing one of television’s biggest audience draws back to screens across the country. As viewing habits evolve, fans have more ways than ever to watch live sports, while networks continue to invest in bringing must-watch programming to audiences across broadcast, cable and streaming. Last season demonstrated the enduring appeal of live football, with NFL games dominating the year’s most-watched programming and delivering record audiences across platforms.
15.8M
Average viewers for “Monday Night Football”
ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” averaged 15.8 million viewers across 21 games in 2025, up 9% from the previous year and delivering the second-most-watched MNF season in ESPN’s 20 years airing the franchise. Five games topped 20 million viewers, the most ever for a single MNF season.
57.2M
Viewers for the most-watched regular-season NFL game ever
CBS’s Thanksgiving matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys averaged 57.2 million viewers, setting a new record for an NFL regular-season game. The matchup also became Paramount+’s most-streamed NFL regular-season game ever, extending its reach across broadcast and streaming.
23.5M
Average viewers for “Sunday Night Football”
“Sunday Night Football” averaged a record 23.5 million viewers across NBC and Peacock during the 2025 season, up 9% from the year before and delivering the program’s largest audience ever. The season also extended “Sunday Night Football’s” run as primetime television’s No. 1 show to 15 consecutive years.
Source: ESPN, Paramount, Hollywood Reporter
