"There is nothing more popular on American television than the NFL. It's not even close. Of the top 50 most-watched television telecasts in 2025, 46 were NFL games - led by Super Bowl LIX (in February 2025), which attracted 127.7 million viewers. Of the top 100 shows, 83 were NFL games. This year's Super Bowl averaged 125.6 million viewers."
"NFL fans have to spend a lot of money if they want access to every NFL game on TV. You need access to local stations (CBS, Fox, NBC), as well as cable stations ESPN and NFL Network. Then there are streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime, Netflix and Peacock."
"Last month, The Wall Street Journal's Jessica Toonkel and Dana Mattioli broke the story that the Justice Department was investigating the NFL to see if the league had engaged in anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers. Seeing as how massive the NFL has become, it's good to see the government looking out for consumers."
"Trump once again complained about what has become an obsession (the NFL kickoff rule that has reduced injuries) and then talked about the cost for fans to watch games. Trump said, "There's something very sad when they take football away from many, many people. Very sad. I don't like it. ... They're making a lot of money."
NFL games dominate American television viewership, with most of the top watched telecasts and shows in 2025 coming from the league. Super Bowl LIX drew 127.7 million viewers, and the most recent Super Bowl averaged 125.6 million. Fans face high costs to watch every game, requiring access to local broadcast stations, cable networks, and multiple streaming services. The Justice Department has investigated whether the NFL used anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers. President Donald Trump criticized the NFL kickoff rule and also complained about the financial burden on fans while noting the league’s profitability.
Read at Poynter
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]