NFL Viewing Figures: Amazon Prime Video vs Traditional TV

Amazon Prime Video’s NFL coverage has been a hit with viewers, with a recent increase in viewership. The numbers for 2024’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ games have been released, showing a rise in viewership for the third year in a row. In 2024, Amazon’s average per-game audience reached 13.2 million viewers, a substantial increase from the previous year’s 11.86 million and a significant jump from two years ago when the average was 9.58 million.

This surge in viewership represents an 11 percent increase from last season and a 38 percent increase from the 2022 campaign. It is worth noting that this season marked the sixth-most watched season of the ‘Thursday Night Football’ package since its introduction in 2006, although out-of-home viewing was not included in the numbers before 2020.

Interestingly, for the first time, Amazon’s ratings have surpassed three seasons of the broadcast TV era, specifically in 2014, 2017, and 2020. In comparison, the final season of ‘Thursday Night Football’ on FOX and NFL Network in 2021 averaged 13.34 million viewers, only slightly higher than Amazon’s 2024 numbers.

Amazon Prime took over exclusive broadcasting rights to ‘Thursday Night Football’ starting in 2022 in a $1 billion-per-year deal for the next 11 years. Despite the comparisons to traditional TV, Amazon’s consistent growth in viewership is an encouraging sign for the company.

Jay Marine, Prime Video’s global head of sports and ads, expressed pride in the partnership with the NFL and the growth in viewership over the past three seasons. The platform’s progress and innovation for fans and brands have been notable since securing exclusivity for ‘Thursday Night Football.’

As Amazon continues to make strides in the NFL realm, it is set to broadcast its first NFL playoff game on either January 11 or 12. The specific date and teams involved will be determined after the final round of regular-season fixtures on January 5.

In other exciting news, streaming platforms have expanded their involvement in the NFL, as evidenced by Netflix’s recent foray into live NFL broadcasting. Netflix paid $150 million to broadcast two Christmas Day games, attracting a global audience in 218 countries and territories. The games reportedly averaged 26.5 million viewers globally, with standout performances during the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens matches.

Overall, the increasing viewership on Amazon Prime Video and the broader streaming landscape’s engagement with NFL content highlight the evolving ways in which audiences are consuming sports entertainment.