Prime Video’s second season of exclusive Thursday Night Football (TNF) in the US saw substantial viewership gains and set multiple all-time marks for the most streamed NFL games in history.

According to Nielsen, TNF on Prime Video registered a +24 per cent increase among total viewers over the previous season (11.86 million vs 9.58 million). TNF’s across-the-board viewership gains in 2023 included 13 weeks of double-digit, year-over-year gains among total viewers, as well as its second consecutive season of double-digit increases in the hard-to-reach P18-34 demographic.

As the NFL’s regular season draws to a close, the median age of Prime Video’s TNF audience is almost seven years younger than those watching the NFL on linear networks, and nearly 14 years younger than audiences watching prime-time broadcast television during the Fall 2023 season.

“We’re still very much at the beginning, but Thursday Night Football’s record growth in our second season is beyond encouraging as we work to super serve fans and advertisers,” said Jay Marine, vice president, Prime Video, and global head of sports. “We are building TNF on Prime into an incredibly valuable franchise, and our production and tech teams deserve a great deal of credit for the quality and innovation we have delivered to fans, and we are just getting started.”

The 2023 TNF on Prime season kicked off in September with a Vikings vs Eagles matchup that averaged 15.1 million viewers, making it the most watched TNF game ever on Prime Video, as well as the most streamed NFL game in history. On November 30th, those records were broken by a Seahawks vs Cowboys TNF thriller that attracted an average audience of 15.3 million viewers, and a peak audience of nearly 18 million. Other season highlights included the launch of a new NFL tentpole event with the inaugural Black Friday Football game, and double-digit viewership growth across all pregame and postgame shows, including TNF Tonight and TNF Nightcap, which grew +24 per cent and +10 per cent, respectively.

Below are 2023 viewership highlights from Prime Video’s second of 11 seasons as the exclusive home of TNF.

• According to Nielsen National TV Ratings (panel only), TNF on Prime Video averaged 11.86 million viewers per game during the 2023 season, marking an increase of +24 per cent over the previous season (vs 9.58 million).
  • The 2023 TNF on Prime season featured 13 weeks of double-digit, year-over-year viewership gains.
  • TNF’s average audience crossed the 10 million mark 12 times during the 2023 season, while the 2022 TNF on Prime season posted six games that reached the 10 million mark.
  • According to Nielsen, the 15-game average of each TNF stream’s peak viewership was 13.93 million, marking a +23 per cent increase over the previous season’s peak average (vs 11.33 million).
• Throughout the 2023 season, fans watching TNF on Prime carried a median age of 48.5 years old, which is 6.9 years younger than the average median age of viewers watching the NFL on linear TV (55.4), and 13.9 years younger than audiences watching prime time broadcast television during the Fall 2023 season (62.4).
• For the first time, all 15 of TNF on Prime’s games won the night among total viewers against competing programming on broadcast and cable.

Additional highlights include:

Second Consecutive Year of Double-Digit Viewership Growth Among P18-34

• Among viewers in the coveted P18-34 demographic, TNF on Prime registered its second consecutive year of double-digit growth, posting an average of 2.40 million viewers.
  • The 2023 TNF on Prime average among P18-34 marks an increase of +14 per cent over the 2022 TNF on Prime season (vs 2.11 million).
    • The 2022 TNF on Prime season average among P18-34 posted an +11 per cent increase over the 2021 average on FOX, NFLN + PV (2.11 million vs 1.90 million).
  • TNF was the most-watched prime time NFL game of the week five times during the 2023 season among P18-34.
  • Throughout the 2023 season, TNF’s P18-34 viewership crossed the 2.5 million mark six times, while the 2022 TNF on Prime season posted three games that crossed the 2.5 million mark.
  • Throughout the 2023 season, 20 per cent of TNF on Prime’s viewers were in the P18-34 demographic, compared to 14 per cent of viewers watching the NFL on linear networks.
  • Throughout the autumn 2023 season, only 7 per cent of viewers watching prime time broadcast television are in the P18-34 demographic.

Strong Viewership Gains Among P18-49

• TNF on Prime’s average viewership among P18-49 was 5.49 million viewers, marking an increase of  +17 per cent over the previous year (vs 4.70 million).
  • Among P18-49, TNF won the night all 15 times across competing programming on broadcast and cable
  • Throughout the 2023 season, TNF’s P18-49 viewership crossed the 5 million mark nine times, while the 2022 TNF on Prime season posted four games that crossed the 5 million mark.
  • Throughout the 2023 season, 46 per cent of TNF on Prime’s viewers were in the P18-49 demographic, compared to 34 per cent of viewers watching the NFL on linear networks.
  • Throughout the autumn season, only 21 per cent of viewers watching prime time broadcast television are in the P18-49 demographic.

Female Viewership of TNF Posts Meaningful Gain in 2023

• TNF on Prime’s average viewership among F2+ was 3.86 million viewers.
  • The 2023 TNF on Prime average among F2+ marks an increase of +30 per cent over the 2022 TNF on Prime season (vs 2.98 million).

TNF Pregame and Postgame Shows Register Significant Viewership Growth

• Despite no lead-in programming, TNF Tonight attracted an average audience (P2+) of 1.39 million viewers throughout the 2023 season, marking a +24 per cent uptick over its 2022 average (vs 1.12 million).
  • Across the key demographics, TNF Tonight averaged 245,000 viewers in P18-34 (+7 per cent vs 2022) and 583,000 in P18-49 (+12 per cent vs 2022).

• TNF Kickoff, which streams from 8—8:15PM ET each week, attracted an average audience (P2+) of 5.27 million viewers throughout the 2023 season, marking a +31 per cent increase over its 2022 average (vs 4.03 million).
  • Across the key demographics, TNF Kickoff averaged 885,000 viewers in P18-34 (+19 per cent vs 2022) and 2.11 million in P18-49 (+21 per cent vs 2022).

• TNF Postgame, which streams for 10 minutes immediately following the game’s conclusion each week, attracted an average audience (P2+) of 3.96 million viewers throughout the 2023 season, marking a +19 per cent increase over its 2022 average (vs 3.32 million).
  • Across the key demographics, TNF Postgame averaged 913,000 viewers in P18-34 (+12 per cent vs 2022) and 2.14 million in P18-49 (+14 per cent vs 2022).

• TNF Nightcap, a 30-minute show that immediately follows TNF Postgame, attracted an average audience (P2+) of 1.85 million viewers throughout the 2023 season and consistently outperformed all competing programming across broadcast and cable.
  • TNF Nightcap’s 2023 average marks a +10 per cent increase over its 2022 average (vs 1.68 million) among total viewers.

TNF Viewers Command Higher Household Incomes

According to Nielsen’s most recent data, TNF on Prime viewers earned a median household income of $101,000 throughout the 2023 season, which is +16 per cent higher than audiences watching the NFL on linear networks ($87,300).

Prime Video Launches New NFL Tentpole Event With First-Ever Black Friday Football Game

On November 24th 2023, Prime Video launched a new holiday tradition on the national sports calendar. On a day filled with established traditions that span shopping, travel, and the enjoyment of Thanksgiving leftovers, Black Friday Football (BFF) attracted a significant audience to a previously untapped afternoon time slot as the Miami Dolphins handed a 34-13 defeat to the New York Jets.

• According to Nielsen National TV Ratings (panel only), BFF on Prime Video averaged 9.61 million viewers, setting a viewership benchmark for this unprecedented NFL event. Viewership peaked at 11.64 million viewers.

BFF was the most-watched event of the day among total viewers and across all key demos, averaging 1.77 million in P18-34 (+220 per cent over the No. 2 programme) and 4.28 million in P18-49 (+229 per cent over the No. 2 programme).

Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Content, Research

Tags: Amazon, NFL, nielsen, Prime Video, Thursday Night Football