A week after Thanksgiving’s triple-header smashed records, Nielsen figures released this week confirm the NFL’s Black Friday game also established a new viewing milestone.
The Chicago Bears’ 24-15 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles on November 28 drew roughly 16.3 million viewers, the largest Black Friday sports audience tracked since at least 1991.
This marks a 21% rise from last year’s 13.51 million average viewers for the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs game, and a 70% increase from their debut Black Friday game in 2023 between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.
On the field, Chicago’s ground game dominated, with rookie Kyle Monangai (130 rushing yards) and D’Andre Swift (125) combining for 255 rushing yards, while Caleb Williams managed the game through the air (17-of-36, 154 yards, one TD).
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The NFL, by partnering with global streamers and maximizing holiday windows, is stacking events that keep fans tuned for multiple days.
Thanksgiving shattered league records, with the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dallas Cowboys game averaging 57.2 million viewers, ranking as the NFL’s most-watched regular season game to date, surpassing the previous mark by over 15 million viewers.
Sunday Night Football has also produced multi-year highs this season, including Week 8’s NBC telecast of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers matchup, which hit 23.04 million linear viewers.
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The NFL’s holiday experiment — Black Friday games, an expanding Christmas Day slate, and a Peacock “Holiday Exclusive” Week 17 primetime game on December 27 — shows the league can expand its footprint across platforms without sacrificing its traditional television draw.
For both teams and television partners, the short-term change is tactical, with holiday windows expected to feature marquee matchups and intensified promotional investment.