First NFL game to air exclusively on a streaming service brings in 4.8M viewers online

The first NFL game to air exclusively on a streaming service nationally drew an impressive crowd on Saturday.

A Monday article from The Hollywood Reporter says that the game between the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals brought in 4.8 million over Amazon Prime, Twitch and mobile platforms operated by the NFL. These viewers, coupled with local stations in San Francisco and Phoenix, brought the total viewership up to 5.9 million, according to the NFL.

The four 2020 regular season games that aired on the NFL Network and broadcast affiliates averaged 5.6 million viewers, the Reporter notes.

According to the NFL, 11.2 million people watched at least some of the game through online platforms. The Reporter notes that the average 4.8 million who logged on to view the game is the highest digital viewership the NFL has ever had for a regular season game.

Amazon and the NFL have been streaming partners for several years, but Amazon had not been the primary outlet for a regular season game prior to this game on Saturday.

Amazon’s presence in the NFL’s games could grow as negotiations with other media organizations begin. The entertainment magazine reports that Amazon could possibly take the Thursday prime-time package from the current outlets Fox and the NFL Network.

The NFL’s contracts with ESPN, CBS, Fox and NBC are all set to expire in the next few years, though the Reporter notes that the league will likely want to renegotiate these contracts before they are set to end.