New VIP+ Analysis: Week 1 audience levels returned to highs not seen in a few years in the final run before expensive rights deals kick in.
If the TV audiences for week 1 of the new NFL season are anything to go by, TV network chiefs will be pleased as punch. 79.5% total increase
In fact, the only game not to top 2021’s audience highs was Thursday’s blowout between Super Bowl favorites the Buffalo Bills and the current Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams. In truth, blowout or not, the clash would have struggled to best last year’s opener between Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fresh off Super Bowl victory, against the Dallas Cowboys.
Of course, such ratings gains are not without some caveats. Up until 2020, the late Sunday afternoon slot alternated between CBS and Fox each season, as it does for the rest of the season. In 2021, both networks aired a game, leading to a greater total audience. But this still grew in 2022, up by 3.8% versus 2021’s initial dual game slot.