Fake football generates real money.

Via Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal , the NFL enjoyed its highest preseason viewership since 2018 .

The exhibition games averaged 2.2 million viewers across NFL Network, NBC, CBS, ESPN and Fox. It’s a 17-percent increase over 2024.

On NFL Network, the games averaged 1.8 million — up 26 percent over 2024 and the highest number the league-owned network has ever generated.

That’s good news for ESPN, which will be taking control of NFL Network when the NFL-ESPN megadeal is finalized, following regulatory approval.

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