The numbers are in. As expected, Tom Brady’s return to Foxborough Sunday night drew a massive audience.
The highly anticipated bout attracted an audience of 28.5 million viewers on all platforms, NBC touted in a press release. It was the most-watched “Sunday Night Football” affair since 2012 and the second most-watched ever on NBC.
That’s a huge number, especially considering the current TV climate. The number of cord-cutters has tripled since 2014, accounting for 25.3 million people last year. That figure has only swelled in 2021.
The contest drew a 43.8 rating in Boston and 70 share, the second-biggest all-time for a Patriots regular season game, behind the 2007 finale against the Giants.
Nationally, the number of people who watched the Bucs edge the Patriots Sunday dwarfed the number of people who watched LeBron James’ first return to Cleveland (5.8 million viewers) or Michael Jordan’s four anti-climactic trips back to Chicago as a member of the Wizards. But it does fall short compared to when another legendary quarterback suited up against his former team.
Brett Favre’s return to Green Bay in 2009 attracted nearly 30 million viewers — ranking as FOX’s second-most watched regular season telecast ever. But again, it was a different era.
Sunday’s game is another example of how NFL ratings are rebounding this year. Overall viewership is up 9% over the comparable period last year, with an average of 16.9 million viewers on TV and digital platforms. Overall, TV usage has declined 9% over the same time period.
Even though the audience is smaller, the NFL is more dominant than ever on TV — just like Brady.
