NFL Melbourne Game Draws 18.5 Million US Viewers and 21.7 Million Globally
The first NFL regular-season game played in Australia averaged 18.5 million viewers in the United States on Netflix, according to figures released by the league on Monday.
The San Francisco 49ers' 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground drew 21.7 million viewers globally, with audiences in more than 200 countries and territories.
The Numbers
The US figure comes from Nielsen Big Data and Panel measurement. Viewership peaked at 21.3 million between 9:30 and 9:45pm Eastern, and the game ranks among the three most-streamed Thursday primetime NFL matchups.
The standout number for the league and its streaming partner was in the younger demographic. The game averaged 4.0 million viewers aged 18 to 34, the highest non-Christmas streaming delivery for an NFL regular-season game. Netflix now holds the top four highest-rated streamed regular-season NFL games in that age bracket, including its Christmas fixtures.
International viewership reached 3.2 million, and the match was the most-watched NFL game ever in Australia. The game also generated more than 340 million social impressions and 14.5 million engagements across Netflix and NFL channels.
Attendance at the MCG was 100,021, making it the seventh-most attended regular-season game in NFL history.
Comparisons and Context
The 18.5 million figure almost exactly matches the audience for last season's Week 1 international game, when the Kansas City Chiefs played the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil on YouTube.
The circumstances differed in ways that cut both directions. Last year's game was free to watch, played on a Friday, and measured using YouTube's own methodology, which has drawn criticism. This year's was behind a Netflix subscription, played on a Thursday, and measured by Nielsen. Internationally, Netflix was well clear, drawing 3.2 million against the 1.2 million who watched the Brazil game.
Reaction to the numbers has been mixed. Some outlets have presented the result as a strong return for a league expanding into a new market, while others have placed it within a softer start to the season overall. The NFL Kickoff game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks averaged 25.1 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, an 11 per cent drop and the weakest opener since 2022.
The Melbourne game also faced unusually heavy competition on the night, with the US Open women's semi-finals, a tight Major League Baseball pennant race and a college football game involving fifth-ranked Miami all running concurrently.
For comparison, Netflix's Christmas Day doubleheader last season averaged 23.7 million US viewers.
What Comes Next
The result was one-sided, which may have limited late viewing. An early Kyren Williams touchdown had put Los Angeles in front, but a 24-0 run to the Rams which spanned both halves saw them run out comforatble winners.
Netflix has four more NFL properties this season, beginning with the first Thanksgiving Eve game between the Green Bay Packers and the Rams. It will then show a Christmas Day doubleheader of Packers against Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills against Denver Broncos, a Week 18 fixture in January, and NFL Honors during Super Bowl week.
The Melbourne fixture was one of nine international games the NFL is staging this season across four continents.
