Ratings Roundup: More Than 47 Million Fans Tuned in for Thanksgiving Day Football on FOX Sports This Year

By SVG Staff
Friday, December 5, 2025 - 10:16 am
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Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, ESPN sees most watched NBA game on Thanksgiving eve in six years; F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix averaged 1.5 million viewers; and more.

ESPN Delivered Most-Watched Women’s College Volleyball Season on Record

The most-watched women’s college volleyball regular season ever
Averaged 190,000 viewers, up 36% from 2024 season (44 total telecasts across ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU).
Significant gains among P18-34 (+59%) and women (+41%).
ESPN aired 4 of its 5 most-watched telecasts ever.
Nebraska vs. Kentucky in the Broadway Block Party (Aug. 31) averaged 1.2M viewers on ABC, the largest regular season audience for ESPN networks and the top telecast of the season.
AVCA First Serve delivered ESPN’s top two regular season matches ever on Aug. 24. Stanford-Nebraska (596,000 viewers) and Florida-Pitt (525,000 viewers).
ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 aired a record-high number of matches during the ’25 season (33 telecasts).

FOX Sports Feasts on Thanksgiving Day with 47.7 Million Viewers for Packers-Lions

47.7 million viewers watched FOX Sports’ exclusive Thanksgiving Day presentation between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions

Most-watched early Thanksgiving Day game on record
Viewership peaked with 57,957,000 viewers from 4:00-4:15 PM ET
FOX’s most-watched regular season game ever
Most-streamed NFL Thanksgiving Day game and regular season game across all FOX streaming platforms

“NFL on CBS” Shatters Record for Most-Watched Regular-Season Game in NFL History with More Than 57 Million Viewers

CBS Sports’ presentation of Chiefs-Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day delivered historic, record-setting viewership with 57.230 million viewers, the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history.

“The NFL. Thanksgiving. Chiefs. Cowboys. A perfect recipe for a record audience. We’re thrilled and honored this NFL showcase on CBS and Paramount+ delivered the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history,” said David Berson, President and CEO, CBS Sports.

Chiefs-Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day is the Most-Watched NFL Regular-Season Game Ever

The Cowboys’ 31-28 win over the Chiefs averaged 57.230 million viewers, up +47% vs. last year’s comparable game (38.839 million viewers, Giants-Cowboys) and shattering the previous NFL record by +36% (42.059 million viewers, Giants-Cowboys, 11/24/22).

Audience Peaked with More Than 61 Million Viewers

Viewership peaked with 61.357 million viewers for the game’s thrilling conclusion (7:45-8:00 PM ET).

Paramount+ Scores Record Streaming

Paramount+ registered its most-streamed NFL regular-season game ever.

“NFL ON CBS” Record-Setting Season Continues Across Platforms

Season to date, “NFL ON CBS” has its best viewership since the NFL returned to CBS in 1998, averaging 22.120 million viewers, up +9% vs. last year.
Paramount+ is delivering its most-streamed NFL season to date.

Monday Night Football Week 16: 49ers-Colts showdown expands to Disney+ and ABC

ESPN’s Monday Night Football matchup between the playoff-contending San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts in Week 16 (December 22, 8 p.m. ET) will now stream on Disney+ and simulcast on ABC, in addition to remaining available on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App. This marks a milestone for The Walt Disney Company and the NFL as 49ers-Colts will be the first traditional NFL game broadcast available to stream on Disney+ for standalone subscribers.

This NFL game on Disney+ builds on the platform’s growing live sports portfolio, which features the upcoming Monsters Funday Football – the third iteration of a real-time, animated Monday Night Football alternate-telecast, NBA, NHL, MLB and college football games. Previous Funday Football alternate-telecasts, all of which streamed on Disney+, have included The Simpsons Funday Football (2024) and Toy Story Funday Football (2023).

ESPN’s ability to stream a Monday Night Football game on Disney+ was part of a new rights agreement between ESPN and the NFL, announced in August. ESPN’s right to designate an additional Monday night ABC simulcast was agreed to when the 2025-26 NFL schedule was announced in May.

Monday Night Football’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will be in the broadcast booth at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for 49ers-Colts, with Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge providing reports from the sidelines.

Monday Night Football is currently on pace for its second most-watched season in the ESPN era through Week 12 (2006-present). Over the next two months, ESPN will bring fans eight more NFL games (six regular season and two playoff), featuring a plethora of teams vying for playoff spots and top seeding. For the third year, the Monday Night Football season will culminate with ESPN’s Week 18 doubleheader and postseason action with a Wild Card and Divisional Round game.

2025 Thanksgiving Day NFL Games Shatter Viewership Records

The 2025 Thanksgiving Day NFL games shattered viewership records as fans flocked to football from early afternoon until late evening.

The late afternoon game on CBS between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys averaged 57.2 million viewers – ranking as the most-watched NFL regular-season game on record, surpassing the previous high mark of 42.1 million for the Giants-Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day in 2022.

The average viewership across all three games – Green Bay Packers versus Detroit Lions, Chiefs versus Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals versus Baltimore Ravens – was 44.7 million, the highest Thanksgiving Day average on record (records date back to 1988). The 44.7 million surpasses the previous high of 34.5 million set last year and marks the fourth consecutive year the NFL has set a Thanksgiving Day viewership record.

Digital streaming across platforms for the three games delivered an average minute audience of 2.2 million – the highest on record for Thanksgiving Day and up +58% versus last year.

“Thanksgiving and NFL football have become synonymous,” says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We are grateful to our teams and broadcast partners for these incredible games, and honored to be a part of so many families’ holiday tradition.”

The early game on FOX between the Packers and Lions averaged 47.7 million viewers – the most-watched early Thanksgiving game on record, up +27% versus last year’s Bears-Lions game (the previous recordholder).

The primetime game on NBC between the Bengals and Ravens averaged 28.4 million viewers, up +7% versus last year’s primetime Thanksgiving Day game between the Dolphins and Packers.

NFL programming is the most valuable content in all of sports and entertainment. NFL programs rank as 48 of the top 50 shows on television since the start of the 2025 season.

Thanksgiving Day College Basketball Matchups Draw Historic Viewership

Thursday’s CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic matchup between Duke and Arkansas drew 6.813 million viewers, making in the most-watched regular season college basketball game in more than 30 years. It is the most-watched regular-season college basketball game since February 1993.

The contest, which was operated by Intersport, saw Blue Devil freshman Cameron Boozer explode on the national scene with 35 points and nine rebounds to lead Duke to the 80-71 victory.

The Duke-Arkansas viewership marked the second major Thanksgiving Day TV ratings win for Intersport. The Chicago-based sports marketing and events agency owns and operates the Skechers Fort Myers Tip-Off, which posted 6.499 million viewers for its Michigan State-North Carolina showdown that aired on FOX. The viewership from that game makes it the most-watched regular-season college basketball game on record for the network, and the second most-watched regular-season college hoops game on any network in over 30 years.

In total, more than 13 million combined viewers watched the two high-profile contests operated by Intersport on Thanksgiving Day. The agency has already managed more than 50 games during the first month of the season and will continue to have high-visibility matchups throughout the month of December, including games airing on CBS, FOX and Peacock involving major college basketball powers including Kentucky, North Carolina, St. John’s, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Villanova, Houston, Arkansas and more.

Most-Watched NBA on ESPN Thanksgiving Eve in Six Years

ESPN generated its most-watched NBA Thanksgiving Eve audience in six years, since 2019, on Wednesday, November 26. The inaugural tripleheader averaged 2,099,000 viewers, up 54 percent from last year’s Thanksgiving Eve doubleheader, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.

ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game averaged 2,433,000 viewers and peaked with 2,921,000 viewers at 10:15 p.m. ET. It was up 83 percent from last year’s comparable game.

In the nightcap, the Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors game averaged 2,031,000 viewers on ESPN, up 45 percent from the 2024 game in the same window. The audience peaked with 2,448,000 viewers at 10:30 p.m.

ESPN’s tripleheader began with the Boston Celtics defeating the Detroit Pistons, which averaged 1,812,000 viewers for the 5 p.m. start. The audience peaked with 3,024,000 viewers at 7:45 p.m.

Through Thanksgiving, NBA games on ESPN are averaging 1,681,000 viewers, up 30 percent from the same period last season.

Thanksgiving Day Hoops Scores FOX’s Most-Watched CBB Game in History

Michigan State’s Thanksgiving Day win over UNC in the Fort Myers Tip-Off scored 5,488,000 viewers on FOX – the most-watched college basketball game ever on the network.
Peaked at 13,414,000 viewers from 4:30-4:45 PM ET on FOX.
Up +6% over FOX’s Thanksgiving college basketball matchup in 2023 (Michigan State-Arizona).

Record-Setting 1.184 Million Viewers Tune Into 2025 NWSL Championship, Presented by Google Pixel on CBS and Paramount+

Delivering a historic audience, the 2025 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, reached an average of 1,184,000 viewers in primetime on CBS and Paramount+ last Saturday, marking the league’s most-watched match in history. The 2025 figure marks a 22% increase from the 2024 title match, which held the previous viewership record, and a 45% gain from the 2023 contest. Viewership of the league’s marquee match among adults ages 18-34 increased by 70% year-over-year, underscoring continued momentum with younger audiences.

Viewership for the Championship match, which saw Gotham FC defeat the Washington Spirit, 1-0, to earn the club’s second title in three years, peaked at 1.55 million viewers.

“Surpassing one million viewers for the 2025 NWSL Championship is an extraordinary achievement and a powerful reflection of the momentum behind our league and our product. This record-setting audience demonstrates the deepening connection fans have with our players, our clubs and the world-class competition on the field, and it underscores the growing demand for women’s soccer on the biggest stages,” says NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. “We’re incredibly proud of what this moment represents for the NWSL and for everyone who continues to invest in and believe in the future of our game, and we’re grateful to our partners at CBS for their continued partnership and commitment to elevating the league on a national stage.”

In addition to live match coverage, CBS delivered expanded coverage throughout Championship weekend, including the return of CBS Mornings, which aired live from PayPal Park on Friday, marking the second consecutive season the prominent national morning show has broadcast from a women’s sports championship venue. The network will also air the 2025 NWSL Skills Challenge, presented by CarMax, on Saturday, November 29 at 1:30 PM ET on CBS.

The NWSL’s seven postseason linear telecasts across ABC/ESPN and CBS drew an average of 550,000 viewers for a cumulative audience of 3.36 million across the playoffs, up 11% from 2024. Total viewership across Nielsen-rated platforms in 2025 reached 20,162,000, representing an 18% increase from the 2024 season.

Attendance also reached unprecedented heights during the 2025 postseason, as 114,459 fans filled stadiums across seven playoff matches, marking the most attended postseason in league history and an 11% year-over-year increase. Overall playoff attendance has more than doubled since 2021, reflecting more than 2.5x growth over the past four seasons.

The Championship match itself was played before a sold-out crowd of 18,000, representing a 57% YoY increase and generating the highest single-game ticket revenue in NWSL history.

On the social media side, Championship week shattered league records. Across platforms, content generated 50.6 million impressions, a 56% year-over-year increase, with 1.6 million engagements across platforms and 13.2 million TikTok impressions, 12 times higher than 2024.

Championship weekend content was viewed over 26 million times, reaching fans at levels up 29% from the previous year.

Additionally, merchandise sales on-site at the championship rose 34% year-over-year.

The NWSL’s continued growth in viewership, attendance, social engagement, and merchandise sales builds on another year of significant league milestones, including record-setting crowds, sustained investment in player development, enhanced fan experiences, and strategic broadcast partnerships that are expanding the league’s reach and elevating women’s soccer on a national stage.

ESPN Wins Week 13 with stellar showings for College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, SEC on ABC and Friday College Football on ESPN

ESPN College GameDay
- 4th most-watched episode ever (Week 13 at Oregon)
- 2.7M viewers
  - From 9am-noon ET
    - Up 9% over ’24 Wk 13 at Ohio State
- 3.5M viewers
  - Final hour+
    - Beating the competition by 167%
- Full show peak 3.8M viewers
- Season-to-date, pacing +23% from ’24, including top eight regular season shows ever
- Season-high unique viewers via Pat McAfee’s X account: 1.4M
ESPN College Football
- ABC wins the day, tops all key week 13 windows
- ESPN Networks off to best start for CFB since 2011 (2.1M average viewers, up 16% YoY)
- ABC boasts second best 13-week start on record (6.8M avg. viewers, up 18% YoY)
- 12th straight week ABC claims the top game across all networks
  - Arkansas vs UT Austin
    - 5.6M viewers on ABC
    - Peak: 6.5M viewers
    - Week 13’s most-watched game across all networks
  - Mizzou vs Oklahoma
    - 5.4M viewers on ABC
    - Peak: 6.3M vieweres
    - Week 13’s most-watched noon game
  - Tennessee vs Florida
    - 4.8M viewers on ABC
    - Peak: 6.5M viewers
    - Week 13’s most-watched primetime game
  - FSU vs NC State
    - 2.1M viewers on ESPN
    - Peak: 2.6M viewers
    - 6th Friday game to reach 2M+ viewers
    - Most 2M+ Friday games in a season since 2011

“NFL on CBS” Scores the Most-Watched November Singleheader on Any Network Since 1990 With More Than 24 Million Viewers

Led by Colts-Chiefs, CBS Sports delivered the most-watched November singleheader on any network in 35 years with 24.283 million viewers
Sunday’s coverage is up +57% vs. last year’s comparable singleheader
Season to date, “NFL on CBS” has its best viewership since the NFL returned to CBS in 1998 with 20.027 million viewers, up +4% vs. last year

Record Audience Watches Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on ESPN

ESPN’s live telecast of the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday night, Nov. 22, averaged 1.5 million viewers, the largest audience to watch the event in its three-year history, based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel data. The inaugural race in 2023 averaged 1.3 million, the previous event record.

With F1 races averaging 1.3 million viewers, ESPN remains on course to set an all-time season record average for F1 viewership in the United States. The existing record average of 1.21 million was set in 2022.

Viewership was up nearly 70 percent over last year’s race, which averaged 905,000 viewers and started at close to 1 a.m. ET. Organizers moved the starting time of this year’s event earlier, with the race telecast running from 10:52 p.m. ET until 12:55 a.m. as Max Verstappen drove to victory and further tightened the F1 driver championship battle with only two races remaining.

The audience marked the 14^th event viewership record set this season in 22 F1 races, with all but three of the 22 experiencing year-over-year audience growth.

Viewership peaked at 1.8 million between 11:45 p.m. and midnight. The race telecast also attracted 671,000 average viewers in the Persons ages 18-49 demographic, an increase of 60 percent over last year’s race.

All but three races this season (Miami, Singapore, Brazil) have seen year-over-year viewership increases. The races setting event viewership records have been Australia, China, Monaco, Spain, Canada, Austria, Great Britain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Azerbaijan, United States, Mexico and Las Vegas.

The 2025 F1 season will conclude with the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 30, (10:55 a.m., ESPN2), and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, Dec. 7, (7:55 a.m., ESPN).

AMERICA’S GAME OF THE WEEK on FOX Scores 27,816,000 Viewers in Week 12

Peak viewership: 28.4 million viewers from 7:30 PM – 7:45 PM ET
Ranks as the most-watched telecast of the week on any network
Up +10% vs. last year’s Week 12 National delivery on FOX of 25,187,000 viewers
AMERICA’S GAME OF THE WEEK is averaging 25,938,000 viewers through Week 12; Up +2% vs. last year’s average of 25,344,000 viewers through Week 12

NESN Sees Major Viewership Gains for Bruins, Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins both are off to unexpectedly strong starts this season, and it’s translating into some of the highest viewership in the NHL for NESN – which runs both RSNs. Both teams are in the top 3 in household ratings and the top 6 in impressions.

Bruins impressions on NESN rank #1 in the NHL (up 21% YOY) and third in overall rating (2.76). Meanwhile, NESN 360 viewership is up 27 percent year over year, and seven of the ten most streamed Bruins games on NESN 360 have happened this season.

Penguins on SNP are 6th in impressions and 3rd in household ratings (3.04) – while being the 18th highest NHL media market. Meanwhile, SNP 360 viewership is up 52% YOY, and 6 of the 10 most streamed Penguins games on SNP 360 are from this season.

TNF on Prime Continues Record Pace with 9th YoY Viewership Increase

Thursday night’s AFC thriller between the Bills and Texans on Prime Video attracted 14.19 million viewers, delivering TNF on Prime’s ninth year-over-year viewership increase within the most-watched TNF season on any network in a decade. Thursday’s contest marked the sixth time this season that TNF has averaged more than 14M viewers, matching the combined total from the previous three years on Prime Video, as the 2025 season continues to accumulate viewership milestones and set new benchmarks.

With a blockbuster Black Friday Football game between the Super Bowl champion Eagles and first-place Bears set for later this week, TNF on Prime continues to track toward an unprecedented third-consecutive season of double-digit, year-over-year viewership growth. Season-to-date, TNF is averaging 14.78M, up +12% over last year’s full-season average (13.20M), +25% vs. 2023 (11.86M), and +54% over 2022 (9.58M).

Below, find additional viewership highlights from Bills-Texans and the 2025 TNF on Prime season. Please note that all 2025 figures are from Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel measurement.

Thursday’s Bills-Texans game averaged 14.19 million viewers, up +3% vs. last season’s comparable game (13.72M, PIT-CLE, 11/21/2024).
- Thursday’s game marked the ninth time this season that TNF has posted a year-over-year viewership increase.
- Thursday’s game attracted a peak audience of 16.05M viewers between 9:30 and 9:44 p.m. ET.
- TNF on Prime has now averaged 14M+ viewers six times this season, matching the combined total from all three previous seasons.

Season-to-date, TNF is averaging 14.78M viewers, continuing its best season on Prime Video, and highest for TNF on any network since 2015.
- The 11-week average is up +12% vs. last year’s full-season average (13.20M), +25% over the 2023 full-season average (11.86M), and +54% over the 2022 full-season average (9.58M).
Through 11 weeks, TNF on Prime is delivering impressive gains across key demographics:
- Within the P18-34 demo, TNF is averaging 2.85M viewers, up +9% vs. last year’s full-season average (2.61M).
  - Season-to-date, TNF on Prime continues to attract the largest P18-34 audience among all NFL full-season packages.
- Within the P18-49 demo, TNF is averaging 6.73M viewers, up +12% vs. last year’s full-season average (5.99M).
- Within the P25-54 demo, TNF is averaging 7.32M viewers, up +11% vs. last year’s full-season average (6.58M).
- Within the P55+ demo, TNF is averaging 5.58M viewers, up +11% vs. last year’s full-season average (5.12M).
Season-to-date, TNF on Prime’s median age is 48.7, which is almost eight years younger than audiences watching the NFL on linear networks (56.2).
TNF on Prime’s postgame show, TNF Nightcap, is averaging 2.73M viewers this season, up +34% over last year’s full-season average (2.04M), up +48% over the 2023 full-season average (1.85M), and +63% over the 2022 full-season average (1.68M).
- TNF Nightcap’s median age is 45.7, the youngest among all NFL shoulder programming.
TNF Tonight, TNF on Prime’s pregame show that kicks off each week at 7:00PM ET, averaged 1.95M viewers on Thursday, marking the fourth most-watched show of the season.
- TNF Tonight is now averaging 1.84M viewers this season, up +20% over last year’s full-season average (1.53M), up +32% over the 2023 full-season average (1.39M), and +64% over the 2022 full-season average (1.12M).

Up Next: Prime Video presents the third-annual Black Friday Football game, which stands at the center of an unprecedented 15-hour lineup of live sports on November 28 that will stream globally with no Prime membership required. Standing atop the NFC East, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (8-3) host the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears (8-3) from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
- The full Black Friday Gameday lineup on Prime Video (all times ET):
  - 9:00 a.m.: The Capital One Skins Game from Palm Beach Gardens
  - 1:30 p.m.: Black Friday Football Pregame Show from Philadelphia
  - 3:00 p.m.: Kickoff — Bears vs. Eagles
  - 7:00 p.m.: NBA on Prime Pregame Show from Culver City
  - 7:30 p.m.: Bucks vs. Knicks from NYC
  - 10:00 p.m.: Mavs vs. Lakers from LA

Nielsen’s Top 25 Live Sports Events Telecasts (Nov 24 – Nov 30)

CBS’s coverage of the Thanksgiving Day’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys was the most-watched NFL regular-season game in league history with 57.23 million viewers tuning in.

FOX’s (simulcast on Tubi) coverage of the early Thanksgiving Day’s game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions drew 47.7 million viewers, making it FOX’s most-watched regular-season game ever.

28.4 million viewers tuned in to NBC (simulcast on Peacock and Telemundo) Thanksgiving night to watch the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. This marked the most watched Thanksgiving night NFL game in league history.

The Chicago Bears- Philadelphia Eagles game on Prime Video averaged 16.33 million viewers, marking the most-watched Black Friday Football game to date.

The NFL secured 8 of the Top 12 slots across networks/distributors – FOX, NBC, CBS, Amazon Prime Video, ABC, and ESPN & ESPN2.

The Ohio State-Michigan game on FOX averaged 18.42 million viewers, the largest audience of the college football season.

College basketball had a record-breaking day on Thanksgiving.

Duke-Arkansas was the most-watched regular-season college basketball game on any network since the 1992-93 season with 6,813,000 viewers.

Michigan-North Carolina was the most-watched college basketball game in FOX history with 6,499,000 viewers.

College Football secured 12 of the Top 25 slots (across five different networks), including 3 games with over 10 million viewers.

#5 – Ohio St vs. Michigan (FOX), 18,420,000 viewers

#10 – Texas vs Texas A&M (ABC), 13,044,000 viewers

#13 – Alabama vs Auburn (ABC) 11.310,000 viewers

#14 – Georgia vs Georgia Tech (ABC)

#17 – LSU vs. Oklahoma St (ABC)

#18 – Ole Miss vs. Mississippi St. (ABC)

#19 – Oregon vs Washington (CBS)

#20 – Tennessee vs Vanderbilt (ESPN)

#21 – Iowa vs. Nebraska (CBS)

#22 – Cincinnati vs. TCU (FOX)

#23 – Indiana vs. Purdue (NBC)

#25 – UCLA vs USC (NBC)

ESPN’s coverage of the NBA featuring the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder placed #24 in the ranking.
The 2025 National Dog Show on NBC/Peacock averaged 12.8 million viewers, securing the #11 slot.