The NFL averaged 22.3 million viewers per game during the league’s opening week, making it the most-watched Week 1 on record for the second straight year.

The per-game average on TV and digital platforms was a 5% increase from the 21 million Week 1 average of last season, according to the league and Nielsen.

Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in the way viewers are counted. Nielsen began using its Big Data + Panel methodology for all events beginning on Sept. 1 and coinciding with the upcoming start of the new television season.

Earlier this year, Nielsen began measuring out-of-home viewers for all states but Hawaii and Alaska, along with including data from smart TVs along with cable and satellite set-top boxes.

Nielsen previously measured just the top 44 media marke

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