NEW YORK — Football continues to reign over American television as NFL broadcasts took the top seven spots in total viewership for the week of Sept. 22 to Sept. 28, according to Nielsen’s Big Data and Panel measurement.
NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” matchup between Green Bay and Dallas was the undisputed winner, drawing 23.87 million viewers and securing an 11.9 household rating. CBS closely followed with its “NFL National” broadcast at 4:25 p.m., pulling in 23.77 million viewers and an 11.0 rating.
NBC
NBC notched two more top-five finishes with the “Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick” (18.5 million viewers) and “Football Night in America Part 3” (14.3 million). FOX also posted strong numbers with “FOX NFL Sunday” at 1 p.m., attracting 17.8 million viewers.
CBS
CBS’s regional NFL coverage at 1 p.m. came in sixth with 13.5 million viewers. Prime Video made a notable showing in seventh place with “Thursday Night Football,” featuring Seattle at Arizona, drawing 13.2 million. This underlines the growing strength of streaming platforms in major sports broadcasting.
ABC
ABC entered the top 10 with two broadcasts: “Monday Night Football” (Detroit at Baltimore) with 12.05 million viewers and “Saturday Night Football” (Alabama at Georgia) with 10.4 million. CBS’s long-running news magazine “60 Minutes” rounded out the list with 10 million viewers.
Of the top 10 most-watched programs, nine were football games or related broadcasts. The only exception was “60 Minutes,” which continues to prove its staying power in a sports-dominated lineup.
The data shows the NFL’s massive pull across both traditional networks and streaming services. NBC led all networks with three entries in the top five. CBS followed with three total entries. ABC and Prime Video each placed twice.
Advertisers and network executives will take note of the NFL’s commanding position as the season enters its heart. With football attracting nearly all of the top viewers, networks outside of sports will face steep competition for attention.
This week’s numbers again confirm that fall TV belongs to football. The question is no longer whether sports dominate prime time — it’s how much more space they’ll claim in the weeks ahead.
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Anna Kim is a media reporter for the Rockland Daily News, covering the business of Rockland County and digital disruption in the entertainment industry. She has been a member of the Company Town team for more than a decade. She previously wrote for the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post. A native of Wyoming, she is a graduate of the University of Colorado and Columbia University
