NFL posts best preseason ratings since 2018

Fake football generates real money.

Via Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, the NFL enjoyed its highest preseason viewership since 2018.

The exhibition games averaged 2.2 million viewers across NFL Network, NBC, CBS, ESPN and Fox. It's a 17-percent increase over 2024.

On NFL Network, the games averaged 1.8 million - up 26 percent over 2024 and the highest number the league-owned network has ever generated.

That's good news for ESPN, which will be taking control of NFL Network when the NFL-ESPN megadeal is finalized, following regulatory approval.