NBC Sports launched its 20th season of Sunday Night Football with two nail-biting finishes that delivered historic audiences across broadcast and streaming platforms. The NFL Kickoff Game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, followed by the Buffalo Bills’ comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the Sunday night opener, averaged 26.5 million viewers across NBC and Peacock.
The numbers represent NBC Sports’ biggest NFL Kickoff Weekend since 2015 and the second-highest audience ever to open Sunday Night Football in its two-decade history, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.
The weekend’s average viewership trailed only 2015, when Steelers-Patriots in the NFL Kickoff and Cowboys-Giants in the Sunday opener drew 27.2 million. For NBC, the strong start is another reminder of Sunday Night Football’s position as primetime’s top program, a streak that dates back 14 years.
Streaming played a major role in the audience surge. Peacock and NBC Sports Digital platforms set a Kickoff Weekend record with an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 4.0 million viewers across the two games. Both broadcasts set individual streaming milestones, further cementing Peacock’s growing footprint in live sports.
Thursday’s Cowboys-Eagles clash was the standout. The game delivered an AMA of 5.0 million viewers via Peacock, NBC Sports Digital, and NFL Digital platforms. That figure marked the second-most simulstreamed NBC NFL game ever, and the most-streamed regular-season matchup in network history. Only Super Bowl LVI in 2022 generated a larger AMA.
Sunday night’s Ravens-Bills thriller also delivered a record, posting an AMA of 3.0 million viewers. It now stands as NBC Sports’ most-streamed Sunday Night Football game on record.
On linear television, Buffalo’s 41-40 win over Baltimore averaged 24.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, marking the most-watched Sunday Night Football opener since 2022. Viewership peaked early in the first half at 28.2 million between 9 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. ET, underscoring the continued draw of competitive primetime matchups.
Additionally, NBC broadcasts of both Kickoff Weekend games ranked as the two most-watched primetime programs since February’s Super Bowl LIX on FOX. That positioning further validates NBC Sports’ ability to deliver must-see television at the start of the NFL season.
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