The Kansas City Chiefs made a significant contribution to shattering an NFL viewership record during their Black Friday game against the Las Vegas Raiders. This year, the NFL celebrated an impressive holiday period, crushing previous concerns over potentially low viewership during Thanksgiving Day matchups. The ChiefsRaiders game, which aired on Amazon Prime Video, saw a dramatic increase in viewers compared to last year’s Miami DolphinsNew York Jets game.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell commented, “The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award celebrates Walter’s enduring legacy of excellence on the field and compassion off it. This award is the league's most prestigious honor, and we are proud to recognize these 32 outstanding men for the positive impact they make in their communities every day.”
Surge in Viewership: Chiefs Raiders Showdown
The Chiefs’ narrow 19-17 win over the Raiders saw an average of 13.51 million viewers, with a peak of 17.43 million viewers at 6 PM ET. This marks a substantial rise from last year's Black Friday game, with the Chiefs' onfield success and Taylor Swift's offfield connection with Travis Kelce playing key roles in boosting the team's and the NFL’s popularity.
Prime Video also enjoyed significant growth, with a 41 percent increase in viewership from the previous year. This follows a continued pattern of growth for Prime Video’s NFL coverage, which has now marked its third consecutive year of rising viewership for the streaming service’s NFL broadcasts.
Thanksgiving Day Games and Their Record Breaking Impact
The NFL also enjoyed impressive ratings over Thanksgiving, with an average of 34.2 million viewers across the three major networks (FOX, CBS, and NBC), just surpassing last year's total of 34.1 million. FOX recorded the highest peak viewership of 38.8 million for the New York Giants’ defeat to the Dallas Cowboys.
Thanksgiving Day ratings were strong, with CBS achieving its highest viewership ever for an early Thanksgiving game. The Chicago Bears' loss to the Detroit Lions attracted 37.5 million viewers, an 11 percent increase over the previous year’s early window game. The Dolphins Packers game, aired on NBC in prime time, averaged 26.1 million viewers, maintaining a strong viewership, even though slightly down from last year's 26.9 million.
Key Factors Driving NFL's Viewership Success
The success of the Chiefs' matchup, along with Taylor Swift's ongoing relationship with Travis Kelce, has significantly contributed to the growing popularity of the Chiefs and the NFL overall. Patrick Mahomes and Kelce’s continued success, both on and off the field, has elevated the franchise's visibility.
Prime Video continues to show growth, marking a third consecutive year of rising viewership for its NFL coverage. The platform also recorded impressive ratings with the Pittsburgh Steelers,Cleveland Browns game, which attracted 13.72 million viewers, a 24 percent increase from their previous 2022 meeting.
The success of the NFL’s Black Friday game and Thanksgiving viewership, including record breaking numbers, is a clear indication that the sport's popularity continues to rise, drawing significant attention across multiple platforms.
