text: how many people get nfl network?? just wondering how many people were able to see the 3rd game on thanksgiving.  i wasn't able to. according to espn.com approximately 40 million households out of 111.4 million with televisions.  that is about 1/3 of the u.s.  most cable operators are not carrying it because the nfl wants cable customers to pay a monthly fee to have the network.