An overtime battle featuring two prominent quarterbacks gave ESPN strong numbers on Monday night.
Monday’s Vikings/Bears game drew a 10.4 U.S. rating and 17 million viewers on ESPN, up 24% in ratings and 23% in viewers from Packers/Bears in Week 16 last year (8.4, 13.8 mil). Compared to last week’s Giants/Washington game (7.3, 11.3 mil), Monday’s matchup was up 43% and 50%, respectively.
Vikings/Bears ranks as the third highest rated, third-most viewed Monday Night Football telecast of the season.
Additionally, game stands as the 6th-most viewed program in cable television history, behind four other Monday night games and a TV movie on the Disney Channel. This season alone, Monday Night Football games on ESPN accounted for four of the 10 largest cable television audiences in history, including the two largest audiences.
For the season, ESPN averaged a 9.0 U.S. rating and 14.4 million viewers for Monday Night Football, up 18% and 20%, respectively, from a 7.6 and 12 million last year. This marks the highest rated, most-viewed season of Monday Night Football ever on ESPN.
Four Monday night games drew at least 16 million viewers. To put that in perspective, ESPN had drawn at least 16 million on only three prior occasions entering this season.
Despite the increase, the 14.4 million viewers is still 12% lower than the 16.3 million ABC averaged for its final season televising Monday night games.
Ratings/viewership for Monday Night Football on ESPN during the ’09 season
| Date | Featured game | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., 9/14/09 | Bills/Patriots | ESPN |
8.9
|
14,001
|
| Mon., 9/14/09 | Chargers/Raiders | ESPN |
7.6
|
11,945
|
| Mon., 9/21/09 | Colts/Dolphins | ESPN |
9.4
|
14,710
|
| Mon., 9/28/09 | Panthers/Cowboys | ESPN |
9.9
|
15,705
|
| Mon., 10/5/09 | Packers/Vikings | ESPN |
13.2
|
21,839
|
| Mon., 10/12/09 | Jets/Dolphins | ESPN |
8.4
|
13,137
|
| Mon., 10/19/09 | Chargers/Broncos | ESPN |
8.3
|
13,471
|
| Mon., 10/26/09 | Eagles/Washington | ESPN |
8.1
|
12,766
|
| Mon., 11/2/09 | Falcons/Saints | ESPN |
7.7
|
12,374
|
| Mon., 11/9/09 | Steelers/Broncos | ESPN |
9.9
|
16,002
|
| Mon., 11/16/09 | Ravens/Browns | ESPN |
6.5
|
10,196
|
| Mon., 11/23/09 | Titans/Texans | ESPN |
7.7
|
12,078
|
| Mon., 11/30/09 | Patriots/Saints | ESPN |
12.9
|
21,402
|
| Mon., 12/7/09 | Ravens/Packers | ESPN |
8.3
|
13,478
|
| Mon., 12/14/09 | 49ers/Cardinals | ESPN |
8.3
|
13,077
|
| Mon., 12/21/09 | Giants/Washington | ESPN |
7.3
|
11,343
|
| Mon., 12/28/09 | Vikings/Bears | ESPN |
10.4
|
17,006
|
Average ratings/viewership for Monday Night Football since ’04
| Year | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | ESPN |
9.0
|
14,382
|
| 2008 | ESPN |
7.6
|
11,962
|
| 2007 | ESPN |
7.3
|
11,230
|
| 2006 | ESPN |
8.2
|
12,325
|
| 2005 | ABC |
10.8
|
16,323
|
| 2004 | ABC |
11.0
|
16,400
|
(Fang’s Bites; ABC Monday night averages via Sports Business Journal)
