The 2025 NFL Thanksgiving Day games drew record-breaking audiences, with the Kansas City Chiefs-Dallas Cowboys matchup becoming the most-watched regular-season game in league history. Averaging 57.23 million viewers, the contest topped the previous record by 36 percent. The tripleheader's overall average of 44.7 million viewers marked the highest ever for the holiday slate.
Thanksgiving Day's NFL games captivated audiences across the United States, setting new benchmarks for viewership. The late afternoon clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys on CBS averaged 57.23 million viewers, surpassing the prior record of 42.059 million set by the 2022 Giants-Cowboys Thanksgiving game. Viewership peaked at 61.357 million between 7:45-8 p.m. ET, and it became Paramount+'s most-streamed NFL regular-season game ever.
The early game on FOX featuring the Green Bay Packers defeating the Detroit Lions drew 47.7 million viewers, FOX's most-watched regular-season game on record, up 27 percent from last year's Bears-Lions matchup. It peaked at 57.957 million viewers from 4-4:15 p.m. ET.
NBC's primetime Bengals-Ravens game, highlighted by Joe Burrow's return, averaged 28.4 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo, up 7 percent from last year's Dolphins-Packers Thanksgiving nightcap and the most-watched such game ever.
The three games combined for an average of 44.7 million viewers, the highest Thanksgiving Day average since records began in 1988, topping last year's 34.5 million. Digital streaming across platforms reached an average minute audience of 2.2 million, up 58 percent from 2024. NFL programming has accounted for 48 of the top 50 TV shows since the 2025 season started.
In the Cowboys' 31-28 victory, Dak Prescott outdueled Patrick Mahomes in a star-studded affair with playoff implications. The Packers' win over the Lions and Bengals' triumph over the Ravens added to the holiday excitement, underscoring the NFL's enduring popularity.
