Given neither team is headed to the playoffs, Monday’s Lions/Saints matchup could have been worse for ESPN.
The Week 15 Lions/Saints Monday Night Football game drew a 6.7 final rating and 10.9 million viewers on ESPN, down 6% in ratings and 2% in viewership from Saints/Bears last year (7.1, 11.1M), down 26% and 23%, respectively, from Ravens/Lions in 2013 (9.0, 14.2M), and the lowest rated and least-watched MNF game in Week 15 of the season since Titans/Jets in 2012 (6.6, 10.1M).
The Lions’ win scored the second-lowest rating and viewership for MNF this season, topping Ravens/Browns in Week 12 (6.5, 10.1M). This season marks the first time since 2012 that two Monday night games have earned a sub-7.0 rating.
Ratings and viewership for Monday Night Football have now declined in three of four weeks and six of the past nine.
Among adults 18-49, MNF scored a 3.4 rating — down 11% from last year (3.8), down 29% from 2013 (4.8), and tied with Ravens/Browns as the lowest of the season. Despite the low numbers, the game was the top program of the night on television in ratings, viewership and the demo — with the caveat that all of the network shows were preempted or in reruns.
(Mon. numbers via TV Media Insights)
