Monday Night Football Helps ESPN Win the Night among All Networks

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Monday Night Football Helps ESPN Win the Night among All Networks

MNF was Monday Night’s Most-Watched Telecast in All Categories
SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt Delivers Largest Post-MNF Audience and Highest Rating of the Season

Last night’s Monday Night Football game – a Miami Dolphins’ 27-20 victory over the New England Patriots – averaged 11.8 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN Deportes, according to Nielsen, helping ESPN win the night among all networks in households, viewers and all key male and adult demos (18-34, 18-49 and 25-54) for the eighth time this season.

ESPN has won the night among all key male and adult demos every week this season and, for the sixth time this year, MNF was Monday night’s most-watched telecast in all categories.

  • On ESPN, Patriots-Dolphins averaged a 7.2 US household rating and 11.8 million viewers. The telecast peaked from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET with an 8.3 US household rating and 13.4 million viewers.
  • On ESPN Deportes, Patriots-Dolphins averaged an additional 57,000 viewers.

Note: The MNF audience is likely to grow by eight percent once all streaming and out-of-home audiences are included, based on ESPN’s new Nielsen Total Audience measurement.

Local markets: In Boston, the game delivered a 10.1 rating on ESPN, an 18.9 on WCVB-ABC (MA) and a 2.8 on WMUR-ABC (NH), for a combined 31.8 rating in the market. In Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, the game delivered a 5.9 rating on ESPN and an 8.4 on WPLG-ABC, for a combined 14.3 rating in the market.

The top metered markets (not including those of the competing teams): Providence (21.6), Hartford and New Haven and West Palm Beach (13.1), Jacksonville (11.5), Ft. Myers-Naples (11.2), New Orleans, San Diego and Washington DC (11.1), Albuquerque-Santa Fe (11.0), Buffalo and Pittsburgh (10.8).

Social: In week 14, MNF was the most social telecast of the night and more than three-and-one-half times as social as the next-closest telecast (The Voice).

Season-to-date: Through 14 weeks (15 games), ESPN’s MNF is averaging 10.8 million viewers.

Following the game, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt averaged a 2.2 US household rating and 3.2 million viewers, which is the largest post-MNF audience and the highest rating of the season for Van Pelt.

Next week: ESPN’s Monday Night Football returns Dec. 18 at 8:15 p.m. ET with an NFC South divisional matchup: Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons.

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Allie Stoneberg

I advance ESPN’s communications and publicity efforts for NFL studio programming, Monday Night Football, the NFL Draft and our coverage of the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League. I enjoy meeting journalists in person at games and events and delight in showing them around our Bristol, Conn., campus.
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