Although the winner side of that is relative, since this year’s ratings have been down for NFL games overall, despite it being more accessible than ever, which is one of the factors that plays into the report from NBC Sports’ Mike Florio as a cause for League conversations regarding TNF’s fate.
And there are different reasons for the ratings droop that serve as their own independent defense for the report’s feasibility.
This year marks the first season that Thursday Night Football’s telecasts were split up between three separate networks, with NFL Network sharing a portion of its airings with CBS and NBC, with the latter two networks taking a financial hit to control a piece of a bona fide ratings winner.