NFL’s historic Paris game draws 7.7 million American viewers despite early kickoff

The NFL’s first regular-season game in France attracted an average of 7.7 million viewers in the United States, despite kicking off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, October 25.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints 16–10 at Stade de France in Paris, with the broadcast on NFL Network and NFL+ recording the third-largest audience for an international game in the network’s history.

European games gaining viewers

According to figures released by ESPN, the Paris audience was 29% higher than the network’s average for its six international games in 2025.

The four consecutive Sunday morning games played in London and Paris during October averaged 7.1 million viewers, an 18% increase over last season’s international-game average.

Strong interest on both sides of the Atlantic

The game also attracted 709,000 viewers on France 2, representing a 7.8% share of the French television audience.

The figures provide further evidence of the NFL’s growing international appeal, particularly its ability to attract substantial American audiences outside traditional afternoon and evening broadcast windows.

The league’s European schedule continues November 8 when the Cincinnati Bengals face the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid.