Lions vs. Bills was the most-watched early-afternoon Thanksgiving game ever
If you’re a Lions fan, chances are you watched the team’s Thanksgiving game. It seems millions of folks who aren’t Lions fans also tuned into the early game on Thursday afternoon.
The matchup from Ford Field between the Lions and the Buffalo Bills was the most-watched football game CBS Sports has broadcast all year. The official ratings show over 31.6 million viewers for the Bills’ win in Detroit.
Factoring in streaming, the game had a peak viewership of just under 42 million people. Lions vs. Bills was also the most-streamed game ever for Paramount+. It was the most-watched early-kick Thanksgiving game ever, regardless of network.
From the Paramount+ press release,
CBS Sports’ presentation of the Bills’ victory over the Lions delivered the most-watched early Thanksgiving Day game on any network on record (since 1988). The game averaged 31.627 million viewers, up +12% from last year’s comparable game window, and is CBS’ most-watched game of the season.
The Lions play in the early-afternoon Thanksgiving window every year.
