Aided by its strongest schedule in years, Monday Night Football is on a hot streak in the ratings.
The latest edition of ESPN’s Monday Night Football (Vikings-Seahawks) averaged an 8.2 rating and 14.03 million viewers, marking the highest rated and most-watched Week 13 MNF game since 2015 (Dallas-Washington: 8.7, 14.15M).
Seattle’s win, which peaked with 15.6 million viewers from 10:15-10:30 PM ET, was the fourth of the past five MNF games to hit a multi-year high. Overall, eight of 14 Monday night games have hit highs.
It was the third MNF game this season with at least an 8.0 rating and the fifth with at least 13 million viewers, both the most in a single season since 2015.
Ratings increased 19% and viewership 25% from Week 13 last year (Washington-Philadelphia: 6.9, 11.24M) and 22% and 29% respectively from 2017 (Steelers-Bengals: 6.7, 10.84M).
Compared to last year’s MNF game between the Vikings and Seahawks, which took place in Week 14, ratings increased 19% and viewership 23% (from 6.9, 11.39M).
Including the Spanish-language audience of 131,000 on ESPN Deportes (+9%), the game averaged 14.16 million (+23%).
MNF is now averaging 12.67 million viewers on ESPN (+8%) and 105,000 on ESPN Deportes (+24%).
ESPN’s telecast averaged a 15.6 rating in Seattle and a 12.5 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Coverage was simulcast on local affiliates in both markets, averaging a 28.9 on Seattle CBS affiliate KIRO and a 27.7 on Minneapolis CBS affiliate WCCO.
Portland led all markets on ESPN with a 16.8 rating, followed by Seattle, San Diego (12.6) and Minneapolis. Denver rounded out the top five with an 11.4.
The game averaged a 4.4 rating in adults 18-49 (+22%) and a 3.5 in adults 18-34 (+21%), both the highest in Week 13 since 2015 (4.8; 3.9).
