The undefeated Chiefs are still the Chiefs, and that meant mediocre numbers for ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
Washington-Kansas City earned a 7.3 rating and 11.9 million viewers on the Week 4 edition of MNF, figures that include streaming viewership — down 9% in ratings and 11% in viewership from Giants-Vikings last year (8.0, 13.5M) and down 19% and 18% respectively from Lions-Seahawks in 2015 (9.0, 14.6M).
The Chiefs’ last-second win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched Week 4 MNF game since Colts-Buccaneers in 2011 (7.0, 10.8M).
Including the Spanish-language audience on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, the game had 12.1 million viewers.
ESPN’s telecast earned a 15.2 rating in Kansas City and an 11.1 in Washington (D.C.). As usual, coverage aired on local broadcast affiliates in both markets, delivering a 26.9 on Kansas City ABC affiliate KMBC and a 12.1 on D.C. ABC affiliate WJLA. The simulcasts do not factor into ESPN’s ratings.
Richmond, Va. (17.0) and Norfolk, Va. (14.3) were the top markets outside of the participating cities. Denver was the top neutral market with a 13.7.
Bucking a trend, ratings in the key adults 18-49 demographic declined by less than the overall average, falling 8% to a 4.2. In adults 18-34 (3.6, -10%), 25-54 (4.7, -13%) and 50+ (5.1, -11%), the declines were above average.
It should be noted that Monday’s game took place on a day dominated by major breaking news coverage. As one would expect, such events have typically caused viewers to tune away from sports and entertainment shows in favor of news channels. However, it was not immediately clear whether that had a significant effect on the numbers.
[Mon. numbers from ESPN]
