The 2015 season debut of "Thursday Night Football" on CBS and NFL Network was the most-watched and highest-rated game ever in the broadcast's history, the league announced Friday.
The game, which featured the Denver Broncos scoring two touchdowns in a nine-second span during the final minute to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-24, was seen by an average of 21.1 million viewers, a two-percent jump over last year's premiere broadcast. It also achieved a national household rating/share of 12.9/24, which also represented a two-percent increase in viewership. Last year's "Thursday Night Football" premiere between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens held the previous record for most-viewed TNF broadcast.
Primetime viewership on CBS and NFL Network on Thursday more than doubled the combined viewership of NBC, ABC and FOX. It also beat the combined delivery of NBC, ABC and FOX by 84 percent.
Viewer average for the game peaked at 22.9 million viewers from 9:30-10 p.m. ET.
The record viewership and rating for "Thursday Night Football" comes on the heels of the most-watched NFL Kickoff Weekend ever. An average of 19.9 million viewers watched NFL Week 1 games, topping the average 19.6 million viewers for 2013's Kickoff Weekend.