(Bloomberg) — The Fox network said its late-afternoon Thanksgiving game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants was the most-watched NFL broadcast this season.
The Cowboys’ 27-20 win over the Giants attracted 38.5 million viewers, the network projected on Friday, up 14% from a year ago. The audience for the game, the fourth-most-watched Thanksgiving matchup on record, peaked at 41.3 million.
Separately, NBC said its Thursday evening game drew a total of 26.6 million viewers, the third straight Thanksgiving night match to top that number. The audience peaked at 31.3 million, the Comcast Corp.-owned network said. The game was carried on NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo and the NBC Sports and NFL digital platforms.
The NFL is routinely the most popular programming on television, during the regular season and the playoffs, making it an island of success for broadcasters and cable outlets that are losing viewers to streaming.
Three games were scheduled for Thanksgiving Day: the Fox and NBC broadcasts, and an earlier Detroit Lions versus the Chicago Bears match on CBS. Amazon.com Inc. streamed its second annual Black Friday telecast — a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders.
(Updates with NBC ratings in third paragraph.)
