The great game between the New York Football Giants and the DC Football Team definitely hooked viewers on Monday night. ESPN says the ratings for Monday Night Football in Week 13 ended at a 10.2 rating and 16.2 million viewers. That rating is up 40% from last year’s 6.1 for a weak San Diego-Jacksonville game. As far as viewership, it’s up 39% from Week 13 last year.
In the local markets, Washington led the nation with a combined 31.2 rating (20.9 on ESPN and 10.3 on over-the-air WDCA) while New York received a combined 18.8 number (11.9, ESPN and 6.9 on WWOR). Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News was the highest non-home market for the game.
Here’s the press release from ESPN.
ESPN and Monday Night Football Win the Night
Giants-Redskins Delivers 11.9 Rating and 16,209,000 Million Viewers
Last night’s ESPN Monday Night Football game – a Washington Redskins 17-16 win over the NFC East rival New York Giants – won the night among all television programs on broadcast or cable in households, viewers and all key male and adult demos. Similarly, ESPN led all television networks in those same categories.
The telecast delivered an 11.9 household coverage rating (10.2 US), representing an average of 11,701,000 households (16,209,000 million viewers – P2+), according to Nielsen, making it the fourth most-viewed program on cable television this year. The game peaked between 9:30–9:45 p.m. ET with a 13.4 coverage rating.
In Washington D.C., the game delivered a 20.9 rating on ESPN and a 10.3 rating on WDCA-IND, for a combined 31.2 rating in the market. In New York, the game delivered an 11.9 rating on ESPN and a 6.9 rating on WWOR-IND, for a combined 18.8 rating in the market. The top-10 metered markets (not including primary home team markets) include Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News (23.5), Richmond (22.7), Las Vegas (19.7), Baltimore (18.6), New Orleans (17.6), Charlotte (14.6), Sacramento (13.5), Atlanta (13.5), Denver (13.1) and Hartford-New Haven (13.1).
Through the first 13 weeks of the NFL season (14 games), MNF is averaging a 9.7 household coverage rating (8.4 US), 9,559,000 households and 13,114,000 viewers, up slightly from the same point last season.
ESPN Digital Platforms
ESPN also saw significant traffic across its digital platforms on Sunday and Monday:
- ESPN.com NFL section – An average minute audience of 33,000, up 27 percent from last year, reaching 4.1 million unique visitors
- ESPN.com Fantasy Football section – An average minute audience of 50,000, a 38 percent gain from last year, reaching 2.5 million unique visitors
- ESPN mobile Web NFL section – An average minute audience of 48,000, up 67 percent, reaching 3.7 million unique visitors.
ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes’ Spanish language telecast of the Giants-Redskins game delivered a 0.5 Hispanic household coverage rating with 30,000 Hispanic household impressions (44,000 Hispanic viewers – P2+). For the season, MNF on ESPN Deportes (14 telecasts) is averaging a 0.7 Hispanic household coverage rating with 37,000 Hispanic household impressions (59,000 Hispanic viewers – P2+). Ratings are up 17 percent over 2011, while viewership (P2+) is up 36 percent.AFC Showdown on MNF Next Week: Matt Schaub and Texans (11-1) vs. Tom Brady and Patriots (9-3)
ESPN’s MNF returns with another blockbuster matchup this week as three-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (9-3) host Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans (11-1) in a battle of top AFC contenders on December 10 at 8:30 p.m
That’s all for this post.
