ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ Had Its Highest Rated Year Since 2006
Amid all the talk of the demise of linear television and the future of ESPN as a streaming-first platform, the Worldwide Leader in Sports quietly put together a record-breaking year with its Monday Night Football broadcasts.
Last Saturday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions drew 25.7 million viewers, the network has revealed, making it one of the most-watched broadcasts of the year.
Photo: CNN
Another Record-Breaking Viewership
In fact, the Cowboys’ victory now joins the Monday night game on November 22 between the Eagles and the Chiefs and the Christmas Day game between the Ravens and the 49ers as the three most-watched Monday Night Football games since 1997.
Photo: NFL.com
According to Nielsen, the Cowboys-Lions game averaged over 27 million viewers during the second half.
A Banner Year For ESPN
With the strong numbers on Saturday night, the 2023 Monday Night Football season is now the highest-rated season of the ESPN era. The network gained the rights to Monday Night Football in 2006.
ESPN. Photo: GETTY IMAGES FOR ESPN
In total, the twenty Monday Night Football games in 2023 averaged a total of 17.1 million viewers. That number was up 33% year-over-year.
In a year that saw many lament the fate of linear television and Disney begin to make plans for ESPN’s shift to streaming, Monday Night Football proved that when it comes to live sports, at least, cable still has an audience.
Photo: ESPN
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