For only the second time this season, ratings and viewership for ESPN’s Monday Night Football increased from last year.
The Week 8 Chargers/Chiefs Monday Night Football game earned a 7.9 U.S. rating and 12.032 million viewers on ESPN, up 7% in ratings and 1% in viewership from Week 8 last year (HOU/IND: 7.4, 11.911M), and up 3% and down 3%, respectively, from Week 8 in 2009 (ATL/NO: 7.7, 12.374M).
This marks just the second time this season that ratings and viewership have risen for Monday Night Football.
So far this season, six Monday night telecasts have drawn fewer than 13 million viewers. To put that in perspective, six telecasts all of last season held that distinction.
Monday’s game was the top program of the night on broadcast or cable among adults 18-34, and also won the key male demographics.
Locally, the Chiefs’ win earned a 44.1 rating (14.3 on ESPN, 29.8 locally) in Kansas City. In San Diego, the game drew a 34.1 (15.8 on ESPN, 18.3 on locally).
For the season, ESPN is averaging an 8.2 U.S. rating and 12.771 million viewers for NFL games, down 11% in ratings and 13% in viewership (9.2, 14.626M), and down 9% and 11%, respectively, from 2009 (9.0, 14.422M).
(This year’s numbers from espnmediazone3.com)
