Roger Goodell: NFL commissioner defends NFL's drop in TV ratings

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell defended the league's declining TV ratings Sunday, pointing out that 20 of the 30 highest-rated shows in 2017 were NFL games.

Nielsen television ratings data backs up Goodell's argument. NBC's Sunday Night Football and ESPN's Monday Night Football were the most-watched shows every week in each key male demographic.

However, Nielsen's numbers also show that NFL television ratings fell 9.7 percent during the 2017 regular season. In 2016, the ratings fell 8 percent. The average game in 2017 had 1.6 million fewer viewers than in 2016.

"We always want ratings to go up, but we're 37 of the top 50 shows, which is higher than ever," Goodell told reporters in Jacksonville before the Jaguars' wild-card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.

"We're likely to be the No. 1 show on Fox -- excuse me on all of television, the Fox Sunday afternoon game. Sunday night, prime time is for the seventh year in a row the No. 1 show. Thursday night football is No. 2.

"I think dominance of the NFL in television is still very clear."

Goodell also said the league has made other efforts to expand its viewing audience. The NFL and Verizon partnered to stream in-market and national games. The league also teamed with Amazon to stream 10 Thursday night games this season.