NFL Made Television Ratings History With 2024 Thanksgiving Games
Yesterday at 02:35 PM
It's often said that the NFL is king when it comes to television ratings in America, and the league's dominance was on full display over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The NFL had three games on each of its normal network television partner stations, and the ratings for each were so impressive that the league set new records with the eye-popping numbers.
According to Front Office Sports, the three Thanksgiving day games averaged 34.2 million viewers, the most for a single Thanksgiving day holiday in NFL history.
This year's three Thanksgiving Day NFL games averaged a record 34.2 million viewers—the holiday's largest audience in league history.https://t.co/R0R1lpbeNYpic.twitter.com/hQn2Onnqx9
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 3, 2024
CBS' telecast of the game between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears drew an average of 37.4 million viewers, up from the previous record set last year in the early window by FOX's telecast of Lions-Packers.
The highest overall number of the day belonged to FOX, as the game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants drew an average of 38.5 million viewers. The number was the highest-viewed NFL game of the season, despite falling short of the last three Cowboys games on Thanksgiving.
The Cowboys proved to be a draw once again despite the turmoil surrounding the team.
Dallas entered the Thanksgiving holiday after an emotional victory over the Washington Commanders on the road the previous week, and their win over the Giants has them on a two-game winning streak.
The Cowboys are unlikely to make the playoffs after their slow start to the season, but they've been able to turn things around against divisional opponents over the last two weeks.
They'll look to make it three wins in a row next Monday against the Cincinnati Bengals, another team clinging to slim playoff hopes after a crushing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The NFL is likely to continue its ratings dominance as the season gets into its most important weeks. A potential Super Bowl preview is scheduled for Week 15, as the Bills will head to Detroit to meet the Lions.
Other massive games include Packers-Lions, Chiefs-Texans, Steelers-Eagles, as well as two games on Christmas Day featuring AFC playoff contenders.
We'll see if the Christmas Day numbers can top what the NFL did on Thanksgiving, but it's clear that the league is only in competition with itself when it comes to putting up big TV ratings around the country.
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