NFL Week 1 2026 viewership fell 13% from the previous year and 9% from 2024, yet the opening week remained the third‑most‑watched in the past decade, trailing only the two prior seasons.
The league’s revised schedule featured a rare Wednesday kickoff between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, a Thursday game in Australia between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, an 11% drop for NBC’s kickoff broadcast, flat Netflix coverage of the Melbourne match, and a double‑header Sunday format with Fox and CBS sharing 1 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. ET slots; CBS’s late‑afternoon broadcast of the Vikings‑Packers game fell 22% while NBC’s Sunday Night Football posted a 4% gain, the best since 2015, and ESPN recorded its highest‑rated Monday Night Football game in 20 years, ranking third overall.
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Despite the overall decline, the NFL still dominated the top ten programs, claiming eight spots, and Week 2 will see Amazon Prime Video broadcast the Detroit Lions‑Buffalo Bills matchup at the new $2.2 billion Highmark Stadium on Sunday, while primetime showcases for the Kansas City Chiefs and a Monday Night Football clash between the Rams and Giants are slated for the upcoming week.
