The day after NBC aired its second-most viewed Sunday Night Football telecast of the season, ESPN accomplished the same feat with Monday Night Football.
Monday’s Steelers/Broncos game drew a 9.9 U.S. rating (11.5 cable) and 16 million viewers on ESPN, up 14% in ratings and viewership from an 8.7 (10.2) and 14.2 million for Steelers/Washington in Week 9 last year.
Steelers/Broncos stands as the second-most viewed Monday Night Football game of the season, behind only the record-setting Packers/Vikings game in Week 4 (21.8 mil). The 9.9 U.S. rating is tied as the second-highest of the season.
The game is the 5th most-viewed Monday Night Football game ever on ESPN, and the 8th most-viewed program in cable television history. This season alone, MNF has drawn 3 of the 9 largest audiences in cable television history.
Through Week 9, ESPN is averaging a 9.1 U.S. rating and 14.6 million viewers for Monday Night Football, up 17% in ratings and 18% in viewership from the comparable point last year (7.8, 12.4 mil), and up 23% and 31%, respectively, from the comparable point in ’07 (7.4, 11.2 mil).
10 most-viewed MNF telecasts ever on ESPN
|
#
|
Date
|
Net | Game |
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Mon., 10/5/09 | ESPN | Packers/Vikings |
21,839,000
|
|
2
|
Mon., 9/15/08 | ESPN | Eagles/Cowboys |
18,608,000
|
|
3
|
Mon., 12/3/07 | ESPN | Patriots/Ravens |
17,522,000
|
|
4
|
Mon., 10/23/06 | ESPN | Giants/Cowboys |
16,028,000
|
|
5
|
Mon., 11/9/09 | ESPN | Steelers/Broncos |
16,002,000
|
|
6
|
Mon., 9/28/09 | ESPN | Panthers/Cowboys |
15,705,000
|
|
7
|
Mon., 9/25/06 | ESPN | Falcons/Saints |
14,999,000
|
|
8
|
Mon., 9/21/09 | ESPN | Colts/Dolphins |
14,710,000
|
|
9
|
Mon., 10/16/06 | ESPN | Bears/Cardinals |
14,231,000
|
|
10
|
Mon., 12/18/06 | ESPN | Bengals/Colts |
14,218,000
|
Source: ESPN
UPDATED 11/11/09: Steelers/Broncos ranks as the 5th most-viewed MNF telecast ever on ESPN (not the 4th most-viewed) and the 8th most-viewed program in cable history (not the 6th most-viewed).
