1. Fans were back in the stands, broadcasters were back in stadiums and, until omicron decided to wreak havoc on us in December, it seemed the pandemic was on the decline.
All of that added up to substantial ratings increases this regular season for every network that aired the NFL.
Via Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, NBC and ESPN enjoyed a 10% year-over-year increase in ratings, while CBS saw a 9% bump and Fox generated a 3% increase.
While the playoff picture isn’t completely set yet, it’s easy to see that the ratings increases should continue and will be quite significant.