Monday Night Football Ratings Hit Record Low in '17

Capping a season of record-low Monday Night Football ratings, ESPN’s first Christmas NFL game in 11 years was a lump of coal.

Raiders-Eagles scored a 5.9 rating and 11.7 million viewers on ESPN’s Monday Night Football Christmas night, down 42% in ratings and 38% in viewership from Week 16 last year (Cowboys-Lions: 10.1, 18.9M). ESPN’s Nielsen ratings now include streaming viewership on TV devices; comparisons are to last year’s TV+streaming numbers.

The Eagles’ win, which peaked at a 6.7 and 13.4 million from 9:30-10 PM ET, was the lowest rated Week 16 MNF game since Broncos-Chargers on Christmas Eve 2007 (5.1). It was the least-watched since Falcons-Lions in 2012, which aired on a Saturday night to avoid Christmas Eve (9.7M).

Of the 14 Christmas NFL games this century, it ranks tenth in ratings and ninth in viewership. Compared to last year’s Christmas night game, Broncos-Chiefs on NBC, ratings fell 44% from a 10.6 and viewership 45% from 21.4 million.

On a brighter note, it was ESPN’s most-watched Christmas Day program in 23 years — since Lions-Dolphins had 16.1 million on the holiday in 1994. That comes with the caveat that ESPN has only aired one other Christmas NFL game, Jets-Dolphins in 2006 (11.1M).

ESPN’s telecast had an 8.9 rating in Philadelphia and a mere 3.6 in the Bay Area. Over-the-air simulcasts on ABC affiliates drew a 24.0 on Philadelphia’s WPVI and a 7.8 on KGO in the Bay Area. New Orleans was the top neutral market with a 12.3.

For the season, Monday Night Football averaged a 6.4 rating and 10.8 million viewers — the lowest rated and least-watched season in series history. The previous lows were a 6.8 last year and 11.2 million viewers in 2007.

Monday Night Football ratings and viewership have now declined in four straight seasons. Just four years ago, the package averaged an 8.6 and 13.7 million.

Eight of the final nine MNF games this season hit multi-year lows in ratings and viewership. Five games failed to crack a 6.0 rating, matching the previous nine seasons combined.