Fox Network scored a major ratings victory on Thanksgiving Day, drawing 38.5 million viewers for its afternoon match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, making it this season's most-watched regular-season NFL game.
The Cowboys' 27-20 victory peaked at 41.3 million viewers between 6:00-6:15 PM Eastern Time, according to preliminary data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics. While impressive, these numbers represent a slight decline from recent Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day appearances, excluding the 2020 pandemic season.
NBC's prime-time broadcast featuring the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers attracted 26.6 million viewers across its platforms, including NBC Universo, Telemundo, NBC Sports app, and NFL Plus. Viewership reached its highest point during the second quarter with 31.3 million viewers.
The morning game between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions aired on CBS, but exact viewership figures remain unknown. CBS parent company Paramount Global ended its Nielsen partnership in October 2023, switching to VideoAmp for audience measurement. The dramatic game ended in controversy when the Bears failed to capitalize on their final possession, leading to their coach's dismissal.
Final viewership numbers, including out-of-home viewing from locations like bars, restaurants, and airports, are expected to be released in the coming days. Fox Sports anticipates their Cowboys-Giants broadcast will rank as the fourth most-watched Thanksgiving Day game in history once complete data is available.
Note: Only one link was inserted as it was the only one contextually relevant to the article's topic of TV viewership/ratings. The other provided links about "Interior Chinatown" and "Over the Garden Wall" were not directly related to the article's subject matter.