'NFL Kickoff' featuring Packers-Bears on NBC is most-watched sporting event since Super Bowl

Total audience delivery averages 22.7 million viewers – up 16% last year

In addition to the tens of thousands of fans watching from the “NFL Kickoff Experience” at Chicago’s Grant Park, the Green Bay Packers’ 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears in the opening game of the NFL’s 100th season Thursday night averaged a total audience delivery (TAD) of 22.7 million viewers across NBC TV, NBC Sports Digital, and NFL Digital platforms – making it the most-watched sporting event since Super Bowl LIII in February, according to Fast National data released by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

With 22.7 million viewers, the Packers-Bears matchup registered a 16% increase from last year’s opener (19.6 million TAD for Falcons-Eagles) and is the most-watched “NFL Kickoff” game since 2016.

NBC’s TV coverage peaked at 23.9 million viewers between 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET, and topped 20 million viewers in every quarter hour from 8:30 p.m. through the game’s conclusion at 11:30 p.m. The broadcast averaged 22.0 million viewers on NBC.

The average minute audience (AMA) for the live stream via NBC Sports and NFL Digital platforms was 627,000 viewers – the highest ever for a game in the “SNF” package – and up 10% from last year’s kickoff game (570,000).

NBC Sports Digital’s live stream ranks as its most streamed NFL regular-season game ever. Fans consumed 127 million live streaming minutes across 2.7 million unique devices, up 17% and 38%, respectively, from last year’s kickoff.

The game (8:23 p.m.-11:30 p.m. ET) registered a national TV household rating of 12.8/26 – up 13% from last year (11.3/23).

Of the top 10 markets, Buffalo was seventh, with a 19.7/34.