Fox’s Cowboys-Eagles NFL Game Flies High: The Week in Sports Ratings (Oct. 30-Nov. 5)

By R. Thomas Umstead
published

Low-rated World Series still tops non-football telecast list

Kenneth Gainwell #14 of the Philadelphia Eagles dives for a touchdown during the first quarter in the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on November 05, 2023
The Nov. 5 Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game on Fox was the most-watched NFL game since Super Bowl LVII. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Fox’s November 5 slate of late-afternoon NFL telecasts set a new high mark for football telecasts this fall as the league continues to deliver big viewership numbers.

Fox's late Sunday NFL window, mostly featuring the Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game, averaged 27.13 million viewers, the most watched television event since Fox’s February Super Bowl LVII telecast, according to Nielsen TV numbers published by SportsMedia Watch. 

Also on Sunday, NBC’s Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals Sunday Night Football telecast came in second with 18.36 million viewers, followed by CBS’s early NFL window (14.53 million) and Fox’s early NFL window (11.45 million). 

CBS secured the top two most-watched college football games for the week, led by its November 4 LSU-Alabama telecast with 8.82 million, followed by the Missouri-Georgia game with 6.99 million. 

Three of Fox’s Arizona Diamondbacks-Texas Rangers World Series telecasts topped the list of non-football games for the week, led by the Game 5 series-clinching game won by the Rangers. Overall, the World Series finished as the least-watched Fall Classic ever, averaging 9.1 million viewers. 

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Top-Rated Live Sports Events,Oct. 30-Nov. 5
Date EventNetworkViewership
November 5Fox NFL Football (late window)Fox 27.13 million
November 5NBC Sunday Night Football NBC18.36 million
November 5CBS NFL Football (early window)CBS 14.53 million
November 2Thursday Night Football Prime Video 11.51 million
November 5Fox NFL Football (early window)Fox 11.45 million
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Top-Rated Live Sports Events (Non-football), Oct. 30-Nov. 5
Date Event NetworkViewership
November 1World Series Game 5Fox 11.48 million
October 31World Series Game 4Fox 8.48 million
October 30World Series Game 3Fox 8.12 million
November 5NASCAR Cup Series (finale)NBC2.92 million
November 3NBA:Mavericks-Broncos ESPN1.79 million
R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.