For a regional matchup featuring two teams with extended postseason droughts, Thursday night’s game between the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals sure attracted a lot of national interest.
The preliminary ratings are out for Thursday’s contest at FirstEnergy Stadium. Over 7.2 million people watched the Browns’ 35-30 victory over the Bengals on the NFL Network and digital platforms. That made it the most-watched program across any broadcast spectrum on Thursday night.
In addition, it’s a 3% bump in ratings over the Week 2 broadcast from the 2019 season, a 20-14 Buccaneers win over the Panthers. The allure of the Baker Mayfield vs. Joe Burrow matchup was an attractive one for the game.
The game also set a record for digital streaming audience for any game ever on the NFL Network. From the NFL Media Twitter account, 522,000 people streamed the game. That’s a 39% increase over last year’s comparable game.
