After Record-Setting 2025 Season, 'Sunday Night Football' Finishes Fall-Spring TV Season as Primetime’s No. 1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
'Sunday Night Football' once again ranks no. 1 in primetime in viewership, household rating and all major demos.
May 20, 2026
With the 2025-26 TV season wrapping up this past Sunday, NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished as primetime’s #1 show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 15th consecutive year – adding to its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official Nielsen Big Data + Panel.
Most Consecutive Years, #1 Ranked Show in Primetime, Since 1950
15 years in a row – Sunday Night Football (2011-12 through 2025-26)
6 years in a row – American Idol (2005-06 through 2010-11)
5 years in a row – The Cosby Show (1985-86 through 1989-90)…tied Cheers in ‘89-90
5 years in a row – All in the Family (1971-72 through 1975-76)
4 years in a row – Gunsmoke (1957-58 through 1960-61)
Record-Setting Sunday Night Football Season
In a milestone and record-setting 20th season, NBC’s Sunday Night Football averaged 23.5 million viewers in 2025, marking the show’s best-ever viewership – up nearly 1 million viewers from the prior record for the series set a decade ago (22.6 million in 2015 season) and an increase of 9% over the ’24 season (21.6 million), based on official Nielsen Big Data + Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics. Key SNF records set in 2025:
- A record average of 23.5 million viewers for SNF across NBC and Peacock
- A record 8 SNF games averaging more than 25 million viewers (not including three postseason games – Wild Card, Divisional and Super Bowl LX – which also topped the 25-million mark)
- Led by Peacock, a record streaming Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 2.5 million viewers.
The 2025 SNF season and postseason coverage led into the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics -- the most-watched Winter Games since Sochi 2014 – which averaged 23.5 million viewers on NBC, Peacock, NBCUniversal Digital Platforms and Versant’s CNBC and USA Network across the combined live afternoon and U.S. primetime time periods.
Sunday Night Football Leads Primetime in Every Major Metric and Demographic
In the 2025-26 TV Season, NBC’s Sunday Night Football was primetime’s #1 show in the following metrics:
- Average (P2+) Viewership
- Household Rating
- Household Share
- People 2-17
- Adults 18-34
- Adults 18-49
- Adults 18-54
- Adults 25-54
- Men 18-34
- Men 18-49
- Men 18-54
- Men 25-54
- Women 18-49
- Women 18-54
- Women 25-54
Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day, 9/4/25-5/17/26
Across NBC Broadcast Affiliates Nationally, Sunday Night Football Tops All Key Metrics
On NBC broadcast stations, Sunday Night Football topped all primetime shows in average viewership and household rating, and for the 17th consecutive season ranked #1 among adults 18-49.
Key SNF Full Season Metrics (Nielsen data on NBC Broadcast only)
| Category | 2025 | Primetime Rank |
| Average Viewers | 21.0 million | #1 |
| HH Rating | 10.3 | #1 |
| Adult 18-49 Viewers | 6.85 million | #1 |
Source: Nielsen, Live + Same Day Data, 9/4/25-5/17/26
Led by Peacock, Record-Setting Sunday Night Football Streaming Average Minute Audience (AMA) Hit 2.5 Million For First Time
Led by Peacock, NBC Sports Digital hit another viewership milestone for Sunday Night Football in 2025, delivering a full-season Average Minute Audience of 2.5 million viewers for the first timeacross Peacock, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, and NFL Digital properties – up 17% from the prior record (2.2 million) set in 2024.
Coming This Fall: NFL Kickoff Game on NBC for 21st Consecutive Season
The 2026 schedule for NBC Sunday Night Football showcases high-profile matchups featuring the biggest stars, best storylines, and epic rivalries – including the “Rivalry of the Decade” featuring Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving night, and the Dallas Cowboys at the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 18.
NBC Sports’ blockbuster 2026 NFL schedule features six meetings of 2025 playoff teams – four of which are postseason rematches – plus premier matchups at key points in the season.
It all begins with the NFL’s season opener as the New England Patriots visit the champion Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl LX rematch on Wednesday, Sept. 9 on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo. Patriots-Seahawks in NFL Kickoff ’26 marks the 21st consecutive NFL season opener on NBC. Four nights later in the SNF opener, the Cowboys face the Giants for the 15th time in NBC’s Sunday Night Football package – the second-most played matchup on NBC’s SNF (Cowboys-Eagles, 17).
The “rivalry of the decade” continues in the first ever Thanksgiving game in Buffalo, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills meet in primetime on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.
Peacock will once again stream all NBC NFL games, including the playoffs, and the Football Night in America studio show. The exclusive Peacock Sunday Night Football Final returns with expanded postgame coverage following SNF each week. Peacock will be the exclusive national home of an NFL Week 17 game in primetime on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027, immediately following an NFL game at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. NBC stations in competing team cities will also broadcast the Peacock exclusive game.
For a look at the full season schedule on NBC and Peacock, click here.
