Monday Night Football ratings failed to clear a low bar in Week 8.
Broncos-Chiefs earned a 6.3 rating and 10.4 million viewers on ESPN’s Monday Night Football last night, down a tick in ratings and 1% in viewership from Vikings-Bears last year (6.4, 10.5M) and down 19% and 16% respectively from Colts-Panthers in 2015 (7.8, 12.4M).
ESPN’s Nielsen ratings now include streaming viewership on television. Comparisons are to previous years’ TV-only numbers.
Kansas City’s win was the lowest rated and least-watched Week 8 MNF game ever, falling below the previous marks set last year. Dating back to last season, 17 of the last 26 Monday night games have had less than a 7.0 rating — topping the previous seven seasons combined (14).
Though down overall, ratings did not decline in any of the key young adult demographics. Ratings held even in adults 18-49 (3.5), inched up 1% in adults 25-54 (from 4.0 to 4.1) and — most encouragingly — rose 7% in adults 18-34 (from 2.8 to 3.0). The erosion came in adults 50+ (4.6, -4%).
ESPN’s telecast drew a 15.6 rating in Kansas City and a 12.7 in Denver. Simulcast coverage on local broadcast affiliates delivered a 29.7 on K.C. ABC affiliate KMBC and a 16.7 on independent Denver affiliate 16.7.
Buffalo and San Diego tied as the top neutral markets, with a 10.4, followed by New Orleans 10.2.
A complete list of NFL ratings is available here.
[Wknd. numbers via Programming Insider 10.31, with additional info from ESPN]
