As Week 1 wraps up, NFL ratings impress

If current TV viewing trends hold, every team in the National Football League will be a winner this year — from a revenue standpoint, at least. That’s because all three of the NFL’s network television partners saw substantial gains in viewership for each of their respective season openers.

On Thursday night, NBC attracted an all-time record audience for an NFL season opener between the Saints and the Vikings. There was even more good news for the Peacock on Sunday night, as NBC enjoyed a 24 percent boost in ratings over last year’s game, as the Cowboys took on the Redskins.

Similarly, ratings for the regional opener on CBS rose 29 percent. And while Fox struggled with its opening slate of games as ratings fell four percent, its combined doubleheader coverage ended up with a 13.1 rating, its best performance since 1994, according to Media Life Magazine.

And since TV revenues are split evenly in the NFL, every team from the Jets to the Rams will be glad to hear that football viewership continues to grow.