For the first time this season, Monday Night Football attracted fewer than 7% of U.S. TV homes.
The Week 12 Ravens/Saints Monday Night Football game had a 6.7 final rating and 10.9 million viewers on ESPN, down 18% in ratings and 17% in viewership from 49ers/Washington last year (8.2, 13.2M) and down 4% and up 1%, respectively, compared to Panthers/Eagles in 2012 (7.0, 10.8M).
The Ravens’ win ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed MNF telecast of the season, falling below the previous marks of 7.1 for Chargers/Cardinals in Week 1 and 11.3 million for Panthers/Eagles in Week 10.
Monday’s game faced unusual competition. Breaking news coverage attracted large audiences to the cable news networks, with CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC combining for 12.3 million viewers in primetime. In addition, the rescheduled Jets/Bills game overlapped with Ravens/Saints until 10 PM ET — likely pulling away a few potential viewers in the New York area.
MNF drew a 3.8 rating among adults 18-49, down 22% from last year (4.9) and down 5% from 2012 (4.0).
(Mon. numbers from ESPN, with additional info from TV By the Numbers)
