via ESPN:
For Immediate Release
December 2, 2009
ESPN’s Monday Night Football: 21.4 Million Viewers for Patriots-Saints Game
Second Most-Watched Cable Program of All-Time in Households and Viewers;
Second-Highest Rating in ESPN History;
ESPN Wins the Night in Households, Viewers, and Key Male and Adult Demos Among All Networks
This week’s Monday Night Football game on ESPN – the New Orleans Saints’ improving to 11-0 with a 38-17 victory over the New England Patriots – earned a 15.0 rating, representing an average of 14,872,000 households (21,402,000 viewers – P2+), making it the second most-watched cable telecast of all time among both households and viewers, as well as ESPN’s second-highest rating in the network’s 30-year history. The MNF game also ranks as the top prime time program of the past two weeks (since 11/16/09) among all broadcast and cable networks in households, viewers, and all key male and adult demos.
The Patriots-Saints game finished just shy of ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecast October 5 (Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings), which set the all-time cable records for households (15,136,000) and viewers (21,839,000), based on an ESPN-record 15.3 rating. ESPN has set the cable household viewership record four times in as many years since acquiring the rights to MNF. In all, cable’s seven biggest household audiences ever -- and eight of the top 10 – (excluding breaking news) are ESPN MNF games.
Monday’s game delivered a combined 35.0 rating in Boston (13.1 on ESPN and 21.9 on WCVB-ABC), as well as a combined 66.7 rating in New Orleans (23.3 on ESPN and 43.4 on WDSU-NBC). The New Orleans rating is the highest combined local rating for ESPN’s Monday Night Football this year, surpassing the 63.9 in New Orleans for the Falcons-Saints game (Nov. 2).
For 2009, ESPN’s MNF telecasts represent cable’s 12 biggest audiences among households and viewers (and 13 of the top 14 among households). Through 12 weeks (13 games) of the NFL season, ESPN’s MNF is averaging a 10.6 rating and 10,447,000 households (14,560,000 P2+), up 18 percent, 18 percent and 19 percent, respectively, from last season.
ESPN DEPORTES
ESPN Deportes’ Spanish-language coverage of Monday Night Football also delivered its highest rating and most-watched NFL game ever. The Patriots-Saints delivered a 1.5 Hispanic rating and 77,000 Hispanic households, surpassing the 1.4 Hispanic rating and 68,000 Hispanic households from the Jets-Dolphins game (Oct. 12). For the season, MNF games on ESPN Deportes are averaging a 1.0 Hispanic rating, 46,000 Hispanic households and 62,000 Hispanic viewers, increases of 150%, 171% and 100%, respectively, from 2008.
ESPN.COM
ESPN.com had 75.6 million page views to NFL content accessed via computers and mobile devices for Monday thru Tuesday at noon -- up 13 percent from the comparable time period last year. Specifically, page views for the NFL section on computers and mobile were up 20 percent from last year. Additionally, ESPN.com streamed 1.5 million NFL related videos.
Most-Viewed Monday Night Football Games on ESPN (2006 – Present)
Rank Date Teams Viewers (000s) HHs (000s)
1 10/05/2009 Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings 21,839 15,136
2 11/30/2009 New England Patriots-New Orleans Saints 21,402 14,872
3 09/15/2008 Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys 18,608 12,953
4 12/03/2007 New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens 17,522 12,529
5 10/23/2006 New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys 16,028 11,807
6 11/09/2009 Pittsburgh Steelers-Denver Broncos 16,002 11,358
7 09/28/2009 Carolina Panthers-Dallas Cowboys 15,705 11,354
8 09/25/2006 Atlanta Falcons-New Orleans Saints 14,999 10,850
9 09/21/2009 Indianapolis Colts-Miami Dolphins 14,710 10,849
10 10/16/2006 Chicago Bears-Arizona Cardinals 14,231 10,804
Top 10 Most-Viewed Programs in Cable Television History (Households):
Rank Date Teams Network HHs (000s)
1 10/05/2009 Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings ESPN 15,136
2 11/30/2009 New England Patriots-New Orleans Saints ESPN 14,872
3 09/15/2008 Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys ESPN 12,953
4 12/03/2007 New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens ESPN 12,529
5 10/23/2006 New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys ESPN 11,807
6 11/09/2009 Pittsburgh Steelers-Denver Broncos ESPN 11,358
7 09/28/2009 Carolina Panthers-Dallas Cowboys ESPN 11,354
8 11/09/1993 Larry King (NAFTA Debate) CNN 11,174
9 10/02/2008 Vice Presidential Debate FOX NEWS 11,098
10 09/25/2006 Atlanta Falcons-New Orleans Saints ESPN 10,850
Top 10 Most-Viewed Programs in Cable Television History (Viewers):
Rank Date Teams Network Viewers (000s)
1 10/05/2009 Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings ESPN 21.839
2 11/30/2009 New England Patriots-New Orleans Saints ESPN 21,402
3 09/15/2008 Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys ESPN 18,608
4 12/03/2007 New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens ESPN 17,522
5 08/17/2007 High School Musical 2 Disney Channel 17,241
6 11/09/1993 Larry King (NAFTA Debate) CNN 16,837
7 12/25/1994 Detroit Lions-Miami Dolphins ESPN 16,063
8 10/23/2006 New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys ESPN 16,028
9 11/09/2009 Pittsburgh Steelers-Denver Broncos ESPN 16,002
10 09/28/2009 Carolina Panthers-Dallas Cowboys ESPN 15,705
Note: excluding breaking news; live + same day
Top 3 Ratings in ESPN History:
Rank Date Teams Rating
1 10/05/2009 Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings 15.3
2 11/30/2009 New England Patriots-New Orleans Saints 15.0
3 12/06/1987 Chicago Bears-Minnesota Vikings 14.4
RAVENS-PACKERS AT LAMBEAU FIELD THIS WEEK ON MNF
This week’s MNF game on ESPN Dec. 7 will be a matchup of playoff hopefuls when Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens travel to historic Lambeau Field to face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at 8:30 p.m. ET. ESPN’s game around the game coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. with NFL Live and continues throughout the afternoon.
So from 1993 until 2006, the highest rated program in cable TV history was a NAFTA debate on Larry King Live? Seriously?
Funny to see football, football, football…then oh, High School Musical 2.
Actually, Monday’s game, on Cable, beat Sunday’s game on NBC.
Now how often does THAT happen?
ABC should’ve never lost MNF as ever since its moved to ESPN the ratings have been huge for their premier matchups.
Had the game been closer it would’ve easily eclipsed the overrated Packers-Vikings showdown.
Hot Pocket: ABC was GENIUS for letting MNF go to ESPN in two ways: 1.) at the time it moved its broadcast network ratings were waning: 2.) it helps ESPN charge its gargantuan cable carriage fees. those were estimated at $3.65/subscriber/per month last year, or nearly $400 million dollars a month just in carriage fees!
*coughs*
New Orleans Market:
23.3 on ESPN and 43.4 on WDSU-NBC
Looks like everybody and their momma was watching the showdown in NoLeans!
Thanks, Robert, for the info on why MNF moved from ABC to ESPN. I hadn’t seen those figures before.
So, 16 million people watched a NAFTA debate? What the hell! Waas there absolutely nothing on television that night.
Why is that NAFTA debate so huge? What about CNN’s coverage of the gulf war? Wasn’t that CNN’s most watched programming ever?
Wow, what a difference about twenty eight or so years makes. I can remember, in my (ahem) younger days listening to Howard Cosell actually show amazement when the Saints were so bad, the poor fans wore bags over their heads and called the team “The Ain’ts” on MNF, and the members of the team literally got into a fight on field with each other instead of the opposing team. I don’t remember who the other team was, but I remember you could tell by their body language that they had never had to play another team while the team was imploding. They were mopping the floor with the Saints, and I do remember that they took as many time outs as they could, and ran the clock as much as they could just to try to keep from running up an outrageous score.
I am glad for the Saints. It’s taken about forty two years, but they have finally got some respect and are on top. I bet both their owner, Tom Benson, and Mayor Ray Nagin both go dancing down Bourbon Street, if they haven’t aready.
The NAFTA debate of 1992-1993 was essentially the healthcare debate of today….the only thing the news (and the parties) talked about. Except at the time, there were less outlets to discuss it on.
Funny how all the doom and gloom never panned out.
The rating in New Orleans would have been as perfect as Drew Brees’ passer rating if half of the population would not have been in or near the dome on Monday night. Geaux Saint!!! America’s Team!