Every year at least one of the two scheduled games between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants is broadcast on National television in prime time.
It’s annoying to many fans who prefer the Sunday 1:00 p.m. EDT window and for journalists who are forced to work into the wee hours.
But there’s a reason why the NFL covets this matchup regardless of where each team is in the standings. People watch. Lots of them.
The folks at Amazon Prime found that out this week when a record 16.22 million people streamed the 20-15 Cowboys win over Big Blue on their service.
According to Nielsen, it isthe most-streamed NFL regular-season game in history and Amazon Prime Video’s most-watched game since exclusively taking over the prime-time package in 2022.
The two highest-streamed regular-season games have involved the Cowboys. The previous mark was 15.26 million for the Cowboys’ 41-35 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 30, 2023, which was also a Prime Video Thursday night game.
When Amazon Prime began covering NFL games two seasons ago, they were not allotted many premium matchups, a fact that did not escape legendary play-by-play man Al Michaels who voiced his displeasure on the air.
More football fans are figuring out how to stream (sorry Boomers) which has led to a 25 percent increase in viewership over last season.