2025-26 NFL regular season: 18.7 million viewers on average in the USA, a record since 1989

The 2025-26 NFL regular-season games drew an average audience of 18.7 million viewers in the United States, a record since 1989 (19 million), according to data compiled by the American institute Nielsen in January 2026.

This figure is 6.8% up on 2024-25 (17.5 million). In 2025, NFL games recorded 83 of the 100 most-watched programmes on American television (72 in 2024, 93 in 2023).

Amazon, ESPN (The Walt Disney Company) and American broadcasting groups CBS, Fox and NBC are the domestic broadcasters of the NFL for the 2023-2033 cycle. The total value of this agreement is $105bn (€88bn) for 11 seasons, or $9.5bn (€7.97bn) per season, representing a 77% increase over the 2014-2022 cycle.

In a separate agreement, Google has acquired the US broadcasting rights for the NFL Sunday Ticket on its YouTube platform, starting in 2023. Google secured these rights for an annual $2.5bn (€2bn), according to the American press. CBS and Fox remain the exclusive broadcasters locally.

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