Business of Sports · NFL · RATINGS
NFL’s Paris Debut Drew 7.7 Million Viewers Ahead of Madrid Finale
The October 27 report puts Paris third among NFL Network’s international games. Its four October broadcasts averaged 7.1 million viewers, with Madrid next November 8.
The NFL’s first game in Paris averaged 7.7 million viewers on NFL Network and NFL+, giving the league another substantial Sunday morning audience before its international television schedule moves to Madrid on November 8.
ESPN reported the Paris figure October 27. The Pittsburgh Steelers–New Orleans Saints game at Stade de France ranked third among NFL Network’s 27 International Series broadcasts since 2016. Its audience exceeded the network’s six-game international average from last season by 29%.
Across four October games in London and Paris, NFL Network averaged 7.1 million viewers, according to the same release. That was 18% above its 2025 international package average. Both percentages compare this year’s results with last season’s overall international slate, rather than matching individual cities or opponents.
The distinction matters when assessing expansion. A strong American television audience shows the size of another viewing window; it does not measure how many French residents watched, bought tickets or became regular NFL followers. Those are separate questions requiring separate local evidence.
The reported figures use Nielsen Big Data and Panel and include over-the-air viewing. They should not be read as streaming subscriptions or attendance, and the four-game average is not a count of four separate, nonoverlapping groups of fans.
The next scheduled test is Cincinnati against Atlanta at the Bernabeu on Sunday, November 8. The Bengals’ official Madrid information page lists kickoff at 9:30 a.m. EST, with national coverage on NFL Network and a local Cincinnati broadcast on WLWT.
Madrid will give the network another comparable morning window, although opponents and game competitiveness can affect any individual audience. Paris has already supplied a strong result from American viewers. The next question is whether the remaining international broadcasts sustain that level across the package, rather than whether one debut alone proves a new national market has been won.
