More than 121 million people viewed at least part of the NFL's opening weekend slate of games, but ratings weren't the only thing getting a boost when the 2022 season officially kicked off.
Several mobile applications saw increased usage and download volume over the weekend. Here's what you need to know:
ESPN
Walt Disney Co.'s DIS ESPN app vaulted all the way up to the third spot in the Top Free Apps section of Apple Inc.'s AAPL iOS App Store on Sunday.
The ESPN app was ranked 181st in the app store at the end of August, according to data from SimilarWeb. It jumped into the 159th spot during the Thursday night game last week before surging into the top five ahead of Sunday's slate.
Separately, ESPN has been a hot topic for investors in recent weeks after activist investor Dan Loeb wrote to Disney CEO Bob Chapek with suggestions for unlocking further value, which included an ESPN spinoff.
"If everyone wants to come in and buy it ... I think that says something about its potential," Chapek said at the company's annual D3 event.
The Disney CEO also noted that the company has plans in place to improve the growth trajectory of ESPN.
DraftKings
DraftKings Inc DKNG appears to be another big beneficiary of the new NFL season. DraftKings co-founder and president Matt Kalish took to Twitter over the weekend to note that the sports-betting app jumped in Apple's app store rankings.
"The trusty ol @DKSportsbook just hit the first page of the App Store ranking! Thank you everyone for your support and hope you cash some tickets today," Kalish said via tweet.
DraftKings' sportsbook app was ranked 150th in the app store at the start of September before breaching the top 10 on Sunday. It was the only sports-betting app to make it into the top 50 over the weekend.
Live Nation
Live Nation Entertainment Inc LYV continues to see increased usage of its Ticketmaster App. It was ranked as high as 15th in the Apple App Store over the weekend after falling out of the top 50 at the beginning of the month.
The Ticketmaster app first started seeing increased usage at the start of the 2022 NFL preseason, which kicked off on Aug. 4. It has been volatile over the last month or so.
DoorDash
Perhaps the least obvious of the group is the DoorDash Inc DASH delivery app, which has been steadily trending higher throughout September. It was ranked 37th at the end of August before trending up into the top 15 on Sunday.
DoorDash could continue to be a beneficiary of the NFL season as passionate fans opt for delivery options to maximize time spent watching football. It's likely that all four of these apps continue to see increased volume throughout the remainder of the season.
Photo: Split Shire from Flickr.
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