The fifth season of ESPN’s Monday Night Football ended on a strong note, as the Saints’ win over the Falcons earned the third-largest audience in cable history.
ESPN earned an 11.2 U.S. rating and 19.137 million viewers for Monday’s Saints/Falcons game, up 8% in ratings and 13% in viewership from Week 16 last year (MIN/CHI: 10.4, 17.006 mil), and up 33% and 39%, respectively, from Week 16 in ’08 (GB/CHI: 8.4, 13.803 mil).
The game ranks as the third-most viewed program in cable television history, behind only Packers/Vikings in Week 4 of last season (21.839 mil), and Patriots/Saints in Week 12 of last season (21.402 mil).
Ten of the eleven (and fourteen of the sixteen) most-viewed programs in cable television history are Monday Night Football games on ESPN.
Prior to MNF moving to ESPN in 2006, the most-viewed cable program ever was a 1993 episode of the now-defunct Larry King Live on CNN (16.837 mil). That telecast now ranks 12th.
ESPN averaged a 9.1 U.S. rating and 14.657 million viewers for Monday Night Football during the 2010 season (17 telecasts), up 1% in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (9.0, 14.382 mil), and up 20% and 23%, respectively, from 2008 (7.6, 11.962 mil).
This marks the highest rated, most-viewed season of Monday Night Football ever on ESPN (five seasons).
ESPN’s coverage was down just 10% in viewership from ABC’s final season televising Monday night games (2005: 16.323 mil).
Every single week of the season, Monday Night Football led ESPN to a primetime win among all broadcast and cable networks in the key adult and male demographics.
Ratings/Viewership For Monday Night Football During 2010 Season
| Date | Game | Net | Rating | vs. ’09 | Viewers (000) | vs. ’09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., 9/13/10 | BAL 10, NYJ 9 | ESPN |
9.4
|
6%
|
14,973
|
7%
|
| SD 14, KC 21 | ESPN |
7.6
|
even
|
11,889
|
even
|
|
| Mon., 9/20/10 | NO 25, SF 22 | ESPN |
9.4
|
even
|
15,120
|
3%
|
| Mon., 9/27/10 | GB 17, CHI 20 | ESPN |
10.8
|
9%
|
17,454
|
11%
|
| Mon., 10/4/10 | NE 41, MIA 14 | ESPN |
9.0
|
-32%
|
13,971
|
-36%
|
| Mon., 10/11/10 | MIN 20, NYJ 29 | ESPN |
10.7
|
27%
|
17,313
|
32%
|
| Mon., 10/18/10 | TEN 30, JAX 3 | ESPN |
6.2
|
-25%
|
9,666
|
-28%
|
| Mon., 10/25/10 | NYG 41, DAL 35 | ESPN |
11.2
|
38%
|
17,953
|
41%
|
| Mon., 11/1/10 | HOU 17, IND 30 | ESPN |
7.4
|
-4%
|
11,911
|
-4%
|
| Mon., 11/8/10 | PIT 27, CIN 21 | ESPN |
9.2
|
-7%
|
15,016
|
-6%
|
| Mon., 11/15/10 |
PHI 59, WSH 28
|
ESPN |
9.3
|
43%
|
15,032
|
47%
|
| Mon., 11/22/10 |
DEN 14, SD 35
|
ESPN |
7.2
|
-6%
|
11,664
|
-3%
|
| Mon., 11/29/10 |
SF 27, ARI 6
|
ESPN |
7.0
|
-46%
|
11,202
|
-48%
|
| Mon., 12/6/10 |
NYJ 3, NE 45
|
ESPN |
10.0
|
20%
|
16,533
|
23%
|
| Mon., 12/13/10 |
BAL 34, HOU 28
|
ESPN |
7.7
|
-7%
|
11,927
|
-9%
|
| Mon., 12/20/10 |
CHI 40, MIN 14
|
ESPN |
9.9
|
36%
|
17,094
|
51%
|
| Mon., 12/27/10 |
NO 17, ATL 14
|
ESPN |
11.2
|
8%
|
19,137
|
13%
|
(ESPN)
