ESPN’s Monday Night Football Wins the Night
Story Highlights
ESPN’s Monday Night Football on December 20 – a lopsided 40-14 Chicago Bears’ victory over the Minnesota Vikings – earned an 11.6 rating (9.9 US rating), representing an average of 11,573,000 households (17,094,000 viewers – P2+), according to Nielsen.
MNF won the night among all programs (broadcast or cable) in households, viewers, and all key male and adult demos, helping ESPN win the night among all networks for the fifth time this season. In addition, MNF has won the night in the men 18-34, men 18-49, adult 18-34, and adult 18-49 demos each Monday this season (15 consecutive weeks).
Through the first 15 weeks (16 games), ESPN’s MNF is averaging a 10.4 household rating (8.9 US rating), 10,337,000 households (14,370,000 viewers), slightly ahead in all categories versus 2009. ESPN MNF games rank as the 15 biggest audiences among households and the 11 biggest among total viewers for cable television in 2010 (including the 2009 MNF season finale – Minnesota vs. Chicago, 12/28/09 – which falls within the Nielsen 2010 calendar). Last night’s Bears-Vikings game ranks as the ninth most-viewed program among viewers in cable television history (excluding breaking news), according to Nielsen. For the year, it ranks as cable television’s sixth most-viewed cable program among households and fourth most-watched among viewers.
ESPN.com had 164 million page views (a 12 percent increase) and 237 million minutes (a 24 percent gain) generated with NFL content on Sunday and Monday. ESPN’s Mobile Website had 62 million page views (a 72 percent increase) and 105 million minutes (a 191 percent spike) spent with NFL content on the ESPN mobile web site and ScoreCenter App.
