NFL's Hall of Fame Game does very good television ratings, once again
Don't underestimate the NFL in getting ratings for just about anything. Especially when we hadn't had any football in months.
The Hall of Fame Game does very good ratings every year for one reason, and it's not the quality of the game. It's the novelty of having an NFL game back on our screen.
The Hall of Fame Game between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns did good business, which isn't a big surprise. According to NBC Sports, last Thursday's game was the most-watched since 2018, averaging 6.3 million viewers.
Strong showing as the Browns and Jets Kicked Off NFL Preseason in @ProFootballHOF Game pic.twitter.com/CfptBRiIiW
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) August 7, 2023
How does that compare to other sports? The NBA playoffs this year averaged 5.47 million viewers per game, the NBA said, and it was the most-watched postseason in five years.
The NBA has a lot of playoff games, which brings down the average, but we're comparing the postseason inventory of the second most-popular league in American professional sports to a preseason game in which almost no starters played from either team.
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The Hall of Fame Game typically does good TV ratings because it comes at a quiet time in the sports calendar, it's a standalone game in prime time on a Thursday and football fans are dying to see a game.
The Browns beat the Jets 21-16, but nobody will remember that or care too much. It was football back on our televisions. And a lot of people watched, as always.
