The Dallas Cowboys\' 31-28 Thanksgiving Day victory over the Kansas City Chiefs drew 57.2 million viewers on CBS and Paramount+, making it the most-watched regular season game in NFL history, a source with knowledge of the data told The Athletic. The late-afternoon matchup shattered the previous regular-season record of 42 million viewers set in 2022.
Viewership peaked during the game\'s conclusion from 7:45-8 p.m. ET, when 61.4 million people were tuned in. The NFL strategically scheduled its two most-watched teams against each other on its most-watched day of regular-season football.
The Green Bay Packers\' 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions earlier on Thanksgiving averaged 47.7 million viewers on Fox and Tubi, becoming the most-watched early Thanksgiving game on record. The NFL moved the kickoff back 30 minutes to a 1:00 p.m. ET start to boost viewership.
The Packers-Lions audience peaked at its conclusion with 58 million viewers watching from 4-4:15 p.m. ET. In primetime, the Baltimore Ravens-Cincinnati Bengals game set a record for most-watched Thanksgiving night game ever with 28.4 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.
The Cowboys entered Thanksgiving following a comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles in thrilling fashion. The Chiefs\' 23-20 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts before Thanksgiving essentially saved their season.
Fox Sports director of strategy and analytics Mike Mulvihill said he believes Thanksgiving viewership can still grow, citing the day as a rare communal experience for millions of Americans. The viewership numbers received a boost from Nielsen\'s Big Data + Panel Technology, which offers better data for out-of-home viewing.
