NFL Viewership Soars to Record Heights in Early 2025 Season
Scott Morris | September 24, 2025
The NFL has had a love-hate relationship with their fans. Instead of giving fans what they want all the time, they will often dig into social events which only serve alienate half their base. After the riots in 2020 the NFL went full “woke” and added racial themed slogans on the field and players’ uniforms. This alienated a great deal of people. So, did they ever recover from that fiasco?
The stats are in, and it appears the NFL is flying higher than ever. Through the first several weeks, the NFL shattered previous ratings numbers by averaging 20.7M viewers per game. This is a 4% increase over last season and a 17% increase over 2023. Games have dominated the top 15 in TV ratings since the regular season started.
NFL games outpaced every other program, including the college football opener between Texas and Ohio State, which drew just 16.62 million. College football is a ratings-getter but nothing tops the NFL in the United States.
Sportsbooks have also sung a similar tune. There has record breaking handle at all of the internet’s best sportsbooks. Some claim that betting handle is as high as it has ever been while others say it is comparable to the best seasons they’ve ever had.
NFL Sports Betting Handle Surges in 2025: Early Season Boom
With the 2025 NFL season just three weeks in, sports betting handle figures are not only up—they’re exploding, driven by the league’s massive popularity and expanded legal markets. The American Gaming Association projects a record $30 billion in legal wagers on the NFL this season, an 8.5% increase from the $27.7 billion bet in 2024.
This optimism is already materializing in real-time data, as September’s overall U.S. sports betting handle skyrocketed to $14 billion, a whopping 54% jump from $9.1 billion in September 2024.
Gross revenue followed suit, climbing 96% to $1.57 billion, with a hold percentage of 11.2%—reflecting sharper operator edges amid the frenzy. The NFL’s kickoff is the clear catalyst. August’s handle languished at $6 billion before the season opener, but the leap into September underscores football’s gravitational pull on bettors.
