The NFL achieved a new milestone for Week 1, drawing an average of 21.0 million viewers across both television and digital platforms, as reported by NFL Media on Wednesday.

This marks a 12 percent increase compared to the opening week of 2023.

Furthermore, total viewership reached its highest level since 2019, with 123 million fans tuning in to watch at least a portion of one game from Thursday to Sunday.

“It’s a fantastic kickoff for viewership. We’re thrilled to be back and there’s so much to be excited about,” remarked Hans Schroeder, the executive vice president of NFL Media.

As expected, the most-viewed game of Week 1 was Thursday’s rematch of last season’s AFC Championship, where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-20, drawing an impressive average of 29.2 million viewers across TV and digital platforms.

The Sunday night game on NBC, which featured the Detroit Lions’ 26-20 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams, also performed well, averaging 22.7 million viewers—a 3 percent increase from the previous year.

Additionally, Tom Brady’s debut in the Fox Sports booth drew an average of 23.9 million viewers during the Dallas Cowboys’ 33-17 win against the Cleveland Browns, the best Week 1 performance for Fox since 2020.