The league's games are drawing an average of 14.1m people per telecast, nine percent higher than in 2001 and two percent higher than two years ago, according to the latest Nielsen Media Research figures.
In a further boost, the audience share for men aged between 18-34 is up 19 percent over last season. The age group is the key demographic and will be a big boost for ABC, Fox, CBS and ESPN, all of whom share the NFL TV rights having signed a $17.6bn deal covering 1998-05.
The news comes as a relief following the drop in audience figures following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and is being attributed to one of the highest scoring seasons in recent history.
It is also thought the Houston Texans joining the league this year has been a major boost in terms of opening up a new major TV market region.
Fox and CBS - which get regular-season games primarily on Sunday afternoons – have seen rating rise from 9.7 to 10.2 and 8.9 to 9.3 respectively; ESPN, which has Sunday night games, has risen from 5.8 to 7.3; and ABC which has the `Monday Night Football’ show, saw an increase from 8.9 to 9.3.
Each Nielsen point equals just over 1m TV homes, while for ESPN each point represents 870,000.
Said NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue: “The ratings reflect great interest across America in exciting, unpredictable football with lots of talent - both veterans and newcomers - in every game.”
The news comes just weeks after Major League Baseball found itself with a World Series pulling the lowest ratings in its history.
The NFL’s TV ratings have rocketed as the season hits the midway point – with average ratings up nine percent on last year.
