Ratings for Monday Night Football, and the NFL in general, continue to trail previous years.
The Week 4 Giants/Vikings Monday Night Football game had an 8.0 final rating and 13.2 million viewers on ESPN, down 11% in ratings and 9% in viewership from Lions/Seahawks last year (9.0, 14.4M) and down 9% in both measures from Patriots/Chiefs in 2014 (8.8, 14.4M).
The Vikings’ win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched Week 4 edition of MNF since Colts/Buccaneers in 2011 (7.0, 10.8M). All five MNF telecasts this season have hit lows in ratings and viewership.
Despite the lower numbers, Giants/Vikings hit season-highs in both ratings and viewership for Monday Night Football — topping Pittsburgh/Washington in Week 1 (7.7, 13.0M). Figures do not include the streaming audience of 262,000 on WatchESPN.
MNF completed a rare week of complete futility for the NFL, as all seven of its telecast windows had a lower rating than last year. Six of the seven declined in viewership, the lone exception being the singleheader on CBS (+4%). Of the 26 NFL telecasts through Week 4 of the season, 21 have declined in ratings and 20 have done so in viewership.
In adults 18-49, MNF had a 4.7 rating — down 10% from last year (5.2) and down 11% from 2014 (5.3).
(Mon. numbers via Programming Insider 10/4)
