(Photo credit: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters via Imagn Images)

YouTube reported a Nielsen-measured audience of 16.2 million viewers of its broadcast of the second game of the NFL season last Friday.

The AFC West showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil, which took place in Sao Paulo, kicked off the league's International Series for the 2025 season.

The Google-owned YouTube also estimated global viewership at 1.1 million, bringing the total figure to approximately 17.3 million.

ESPN was among other networks which disputed the reported figures because Nielsen used a 'custom methodology' for Chargers-Chiefs, which would lend itself to an unfair comparison to other networks. Moreover, since February, Nielsen is using out-of-home viewing in its calculus, which will reflect higher numbers than in previous years.

By comparison, the 2025 YouTube broadcast compares favorably with the 2024 game between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles game on Peacock, also in Brazil, which drew 14.2 million viewers. It fell just short of Amazon Prime Video's top-streamed game of last season, the Packers-Detroit Lions contest, which drew 17.3 million.

Netflix' pair of 2024 Christmas Day NFL streamed broadcasts reported 24 million viewers for each game.

The Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game, which kicked off the 2025 season on Sept. 4, averaged 28.3 million viewers on NBC/Peacock. The game peaked at 34.3 million, but an hour weather delay caused it to fall short of the all-time record of the 29.2 million average, set by Baltimore Ravens-Chiefs in the 2024 season debut.

--Field Level Media