NFL Considers Adding Thanksgiving Eve Game to Schedule
The National Football League is exploring the possibility of adding a game on Thanksgiving Eve to its annual holiday schedule, building on the success of its Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday games. The move aims to capitalize on growing fan interest in NFL games during the Thanksgiving holiday period.
Thanksgiving Football Viewership Growth
Thanksgiving Day games are consistently among the most-watched regular-season NFL games. In 2023, the three Thanksgiving Day games averaged 44.7 million viewers, a significant increase from the 34.5 million viewers in 2022 ESPN. The late afternoon game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys on CBS in 2023 averaged a record-breaking 57.2 million viewers, surpassing the previous record of 42.1 million set in 2022 between the Cowboys and the New York Giants ESPN.
The NFL has also experimented with a Black Friday game for the past three seasons, with viewership steadily increasing. In 2023, the game between the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles on Amazon Prime Video averaged 16.3 million viewers ESPN.
League Statement and Potential Scheduling
The NFL released a statement on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, acknowledging the exploration of additional broadcast opportunities. “Every offseason we look for new opportunities to best serve our fans in the schedule-making process,” the league said. “As Commissioner (Roger) Goodell has said, Thanksgiving and NFL football have become synonymous and given the continued growth of fan interest around our games on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, looking for additional opportunities tied to this special holiday is exciting for us to explore.” ESPN.
If a Thanksgiving Eve game is added, teams participating would likely have a bye week prior to the game. This would provide them with extra rest and preparation time. A Thanksgiving Eve game would give the league nine major broadcast windows to fill, alongside existing games on Sunday and Monday nights.
Schedule Release and League Meetings
The NFL’s regular-season schedule is expected to be released in the first or second week of May. Team owners and network partners will have the opportunity to discuss and finalize plans during league meetings in Phoenix later this month ESPN.