A thriller between top-tier teams delivered a record Week 10 audience on ESPN.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football (Seahawks-49ers) averaged a 9.3 rating and 15.98 million viewers last night, marking the network’s largest Week 10 audience on record. The previous high was 15.03 million for Philadelphia-Washington in 2010.
The 9.3 rating is tied as ESPN’s highest in Week 10 since at least 2000, matching the 2010 game.
Seattle’s overtime win, which peaked with 17.55 million from 11:45 PM ET through Midnight, also delivered the largest Week 10 MNF audience since ABC last held rights in 2005 (Cowboys-Eagles: 18.52M).
Regardless of week, the game delivered the third-largest MNF audience in the past five years. It trails only Chiefs-Rams in Week 11 last year (16.61M) and Cowboys-Lions in Week 16 three years ago (18.61M).
Ratings increased 48% and viewership 52% from Week 10 last year (Giants-49ers: 6.3, 10.50M) and 72% and 81% respectively from 2017 (Dolphins-Panthers: 5.4, 8.81M).
Including the Spanish-language audience on ESPN Deportes (137K, +21%), the game averaged 16.12 million (+50%).
MNF is now averaging 12.5 million viewers for the season (+10%).
ESPN’s telecast averaged a 15.3 rating in Seattle-Tacoma and a 10.0 in the Bay Area. The game was simulcast on local affiliates in both markets, averaging a 30.2 on Seattle CBS affiliate KIRO and a 20.7 on Bay Area ABC affiliate KGO. Local simulcast figures are not included in ESPN’s national results.
Sacramento led all markets on ESPN with a 20.3 rating, followed by Portland (19.7), San Diego (16.0), Seattle and Las Vegas (14.2).
Monday’s game drew a 5.1 rating in adults 18-49 (+46%), ESPN’s highest in Week 10 since 2011 (5.7). It also had a 4.1 in adults 18-34 (+46%), its highest in Week 10 since 2012 (4.3).
[Nielsen estimates from ESPN, ShowBuzz Daily 11.12]
