August 15, 2025
The game attracted 2.2 million viewers, according to Programming Insider.
The appeal to see rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in an NFL game has risen to a level that helped make the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers’ preseason game the most-watched Preseason Week 1 game ever on the NFL Network. The NFL announced the good news on its social media account, stating that the viewership for the week increased substantially over last year’s figures.
Most-Watched LIVE Preseason Week 1 EVER on
! • 8 Preseason Week 1 games on NFL Network averaged 2.1M TV+Digital viewers – up +44% vs. 2024 • Browns-Panthers & Texans-Vikings rank as NFL Network’s two most-watched preseason games since 2015 •
viewership up +66% vs. 2024 Preseason Week 1 •
Kickoff viewership up +83% &
Final viewership up +68% vs. 2024 Preseason Week 1
🚨Most-Watched LIVE Preseason Week 1 EVER on @nflnetwork!🚨
• 8 Preseason Week 1 games on NFL Network averaged 2.1M TV+Digital viewers – up +44% vs. 2024 • Browns-Panthers & Texans-Vikings rank as NFL Network’s two most-watched preseason games since 2015 • @gmfb viewership… pic.twitter.com/X31FZFq6YM — NFL Media (@NFLMedia) August 13, 2025
Programming Insider reported that the game attracted 2.237 million viewers. Those numbers placed them as the only non-talk show to be in the Top Five for the week.
The Browns beat the Panthers by a score of 30-10.
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