Nearly eighteen million viewers tuned in to watch America’s team drop to 1-5 on Monday night.
ESPN drew an 11.2 U.S. rating and 17.953 million viewers for the Cowboys’ loss to the Giants on Monday Night Football, up 38% in ratings and 41% in viewership from Week 7 last year (PHI/WSH: 8.1, 12.766 mil), and up 60% and 66%, respectively, from Week 7 in 2008 (DEN/NE: 7.0, 10.822 mil).
This marks the highest rated, most-viewed Monday Night Football telecast of the season.
Moreover, Giants/Cowboys ranks as the fourth-most viewed program in cable television history, behind only three other Monday night games — Eagles/Cowboys in September 2008 (18.608 mil), Patriots/Saints in December of last year (21.402 mil), and Packers/Vikings in October of last year (21.839 mil).
Monday Night Football now owns eight of the ten most-viewed progams in cable TV history, with three of those ten taking place in this season alone.
From 1993 to 2006, an episode of CNN’s Larry King Live was the most-viewed cable program ever, with 16.837 million viewers. That program now ranks #10, behind the eight aforementioned MNF telecasts and a TV movie on the Disney Channel.
Even with the big numbers, Giants/Cowboys trailed both the NFL national window on CBS (NE/SD*: 13.1, 21.918 mil) and Sunday Night Football on NBC (MIN/GB: 15.4, 25.675 mil).
Through Week 7, ESPN is averaging a 9.4 U.S. rating and 14.962 million viewers for Monday Night Football, up 2% in ratings and viewership from last year (9.2, 14.717 mil).
(ESPN)
