Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football returned with a bang. The Lions-Bills drew 18.60 million average viewers, Prime’s third-most-watched regular-season game ever.
What We Know: The Highmark Stadium opener rose 5% over last year’s Thursday Night Football season debut. Meanwhile, it jumped 21% above last season’s full-year average of 15.33 million, itself a franchise record. Compared with the 2022 debut season on Prime Video, this year’s opener is up 43%. TNF Nightcap also set a new all-time high following a Thursday night game. TNF Tonight registering its second most-watched pregame show on record.
What The Data Shows: Most Watched Thursday Night Football Regular Season Games – Prime Video
| Rank | Game | Date | Average Viewership |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broncos vs. Chiefs | December 25, 2025 | 21.06 million |
| 2 | Cowboys vs. Lions | December 4, 2025 | 19.39 million |
| 3 | Lions vs. Bills | September 17, 2026 | 18.60 million |
What Remains Unclear: The release doesn’t explain what in particular could have drove the demo surge. In particular, the 40% jump among viewers 18-34.
What It Means: Prime’s NFL bet keeps paying off, especially with younger audiences. Since TNF now skews significantly younger than linear broadcasts, advertisers targeting that demo have new leverage. Furthermore, strong companion-show numbers for TNF Nightcap and TNF Tonight suggest sustained engagement beyond kickoff. Thus far, Prime’s fifth season early results could lead to their strongest season yet.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
