The Browns’ return to Monday Night Football gave ESPN a slight ratings bump.
Browns-Jets averaged a 7.2 rating and 11.80 million viewers on the Week 2 edition of ESPN’s Monday Night Football, up 3% in ratings and 1% in viewership from last year (Seahawks-Bears: 7.0, 11.72M), but down 3% and 4% respectively from 2017 (Lions-Giants: 7.4, 12.29M).
All three Monday Night Football games this season have increased over last year, marking the first time since 2008 that the series has opened with three-straight increases.
The Browns’ easy win, which peaked which 14.01 million viewers from 9:30-9:45 PM ET, topped Cleveland’s previous MNF appearance by 11% in ratings (vs. 6.5) and 17% in viewership (vs. 10.12M). The team had not appeared on MNF since Week 12 of the 2015 season against Baltimore.
Even with the increases, ratings and viewership topped only last year as the lowest for a Week 2 game on ESPN since 2005 — the last year the network aired Sunday Night Football (Chiefs-Raiders: 6.9, 10.34M).
Browns-Jets averaged a 4.2 rating in adults 18-49, up 5% from last year (4.0), but down a tick from 2017 (4.3). The 4.2 tops only last year as ESPN’s lowest for a Week 2 game since 2001 (Broncos-Cardinals: 3.3). It averaged a 3.3 in adults 18-34 (+3%) and a 4.8 in adults 25-54 (+4%). As one would expect, it dominated the night on television in the key adult demographics.
Locally, ESPN’s telecast scored a 13.2 rating in Cleveland and a 6.9 in New York City. Local simulcast coverage in the home markets averaged a 27.2 on Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC and a 3.6 on Channel 11 in New York.
Through two weeks, Monday Night Football is averaging a 7.2 rating and 12.16 million viewers (+14%).
The full list of 2019 NFL ratings is available here.
[Nielsen estimates from ESPN, Programming Insider 9.18]
