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Business of Sports · RATINGS

THIS WEEK IN RATINGS: October 5–11, 2026, developing edition

Seven verified broadcasts so far, led by Buccaneers–Cowboys at 16.73 million. Major October 10–11 reports remain pending in this developing edition.

By The Sporting Page Editorial Staff
Rece Davis, David Pollack and Nick Saban provide pregame analysis at SoFi Stadium in January 2023.
Rece Davis, David Pollack and Nick Saban provide pregame analysis at SoFi Stadium on January 9, 2023. File photograph. · Credit: Bobak Ha’Eri / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Buccaneers–Cowboys leads the verified broadcasts currently assembled for October 5–11 with 16.73 million average viewers, including Prime Video and local television in the teams’ home markets. The October 8 audience is the largest among the seven confirmed figures in this developing edition.

The Monday Night Football broadcast of Falcons–Saints averaged 11.9 million across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, including local over-the-air coverage. Two October 5 American League Division Series games follow: Yankees–Rays at 4.3 million and White Sox–Guardians at 2.9 million on TBS and truTV.

This table covers broadcasts that aired during the stated week, rather than every ratings report published during it. Entries are ranked by reported average audience, with each broadcast’s date, distribution and source attached. The order can change as additional figures are verified.

The October 8 premiere of SABAN drew 529,000 television viewers on ESPN. That figure is separate from the documentary’s social video views and from streaming viewing that the network did not quantify in its release.

Sunday NFL windows, Saturday college football and several later playoff broadcasts remain pending in this edition. Nielsen’s public television Top 10 checked October 13 still covers September 28–October 4. A pending entry means TSP has not verified its figure in the sources checked; it does not mean zero viewers.

DEVELOPING EDITION · OCTOBER 5–11, 2026

Seven broadcasts verified so far. Figures checked October 13, 2026 · 5:08 PM MDT. Major reports remain pending.

Confirmed broadcast audiences

Developing ranking. U.S. average viewers; sources and distribution differ by broadcast.
Rank Broadcast Air date Network / distribution Average viewers
1 Buccaneers–Cowboys 2026-10-08 Prime Video + local TV 16,730,000
2 Falcons–Saints 2026-10-05 ESPN / ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes 11,900,000
3 Yankees–Rays, ALDS Game 2 2026-10-05 TBS / truTV 4,300,000
4 White Sox–Guardians, ALDS Game 2 2026-10-05 TBS / truTV 2,900,000
5 WWE NXT 2026-10-06 The CW 532,000
6 SABAN premiere 2026-10-08 ESPN 529,000
7 AEW Dynamite 2026-10-06 TBS 495,000

Open This Week in Ratings · Explore the Sports Shows Chart · Previous edition: September 28–October 4

Sources and reporting period

Broadcast week: October 5–11, 2026. Monthly studio averages are presented separately in the Sports Shows Chart.