Aided by top five markets Chicago and Philadelphia, ESPN earned its second-best Monday Night Football numbers of the season.
The Week 9 Bears/Eagles Monday Night Football game drew a 10.7 U.S. rating and 16.847 million viewers on ESPN, up 16% in ratings and 12% in viewership from Week 9 last year (PIT/CIN: 9.2, 15.016M), and up 8% and 5%, respectively, from Week 9 in 2009 (PIT/DEN: 9.9, 16.002M).
The Bears’ win ranks as the second-most viewed Monday Night Football telecast of the season, behind only Washington/Cowboys in Week 3 (17.104M).
In addition, the game stands as the fifteenth-most viewed program in cable television history.
Monday’s game earned a combined 33.2 rating in Chicago (20.8 on ESPN, 12.4 on local affiliate) and a 32.8 in Philadelphia (19.5 on ESPN, 13.3 on local affiliate).
For the season, ESPN is averaging an 8.4 U.S. rating and 13.181 million viewers for Monday Night Football, down 9% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (9.2, 14.665M), and down 8% and 10%, respectively, from 2009 (9.1, 14.573M).
After a slow start to the season, three of the last four MNF telecasts on ESPN have had increases in ratings and viewership compared to last year.
Ratings For NFL on ESPN
Through Week 9 of the season
|
Wk #
|
Date
|
Game
|
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers (000)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Mon., 9/12/11 | NE 38, MIA 24 | ESPN |
9.1
|
14,568
|
| OAK 23, DEN 20 | ESPN |
7.1
|
11,109
|
||
|
2
|
Mon., 9/19/11 | STL 16, NYG 28 | ESPN |
7.8
|
11,922
|
|
3
|
Mon., 9/26/11 | WSH 16, DAL 18 | ESPN |
10.6
|
17,104
|
|
4
|
Mon., 10/3/11 | IND 17, TB 24 | ESPN |
7.0
|
10,837
|
|
5
|
Mon., 10/10/11 | CHI 13, DET 24 | ESPN |
10.3
|
16,378
|
|
6
|
Mon., 10/17/11 | MIA 6, NYJ 24 | ESPN |
7.8
|
12,062
|
|
7
|
Mon., 10/24/11 | BAL 7, JAX 12 | ESPN |
6.1
|
9,275
|
|
8
|
Mon., 10/31/11 | SD 20, KC 23 | ESPN |
7.9
|
12,032
|
|
9
|
Mon., 11/7/11 | CHI 30, PHI 24 | ESPN |
10.7
|
16,847
|
(Sunday’s numbers from espnmediazone3.com)
