or


[12/28/06 - 10:26 AM]
Monday Night Football: Most-Watched Series in Cable Television History
The 17 games averaged 12.325 million viewers and are the biggest 17 household audiences for cable television in 2006.

[via press release from ESPN]

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: MOST-WATCHED SERIES IN CABLE TELEVISION HISTORY

ESPN.COM AVERAGES 24 MILLION PAGE VIEWS ON MONDAYS, UP 52% FROM 2005; MNF: CABLE�S BIGGEST 17 HH AUDIENCES OF 2006, NINE OF TOP 10 ALL-TIME; APPORXIMATELY 9.6 MILLION TV HOMES WEEKLY, INCLUDING OVER-THE-AIR AUDIENCE

ESPN�s inaugural season of Monday Night Football was the most-watched series in cable television history. The 17 games averaged 9,109,000 homes (12,325,000 P2+), based on a 9.9 rating, and are the biggest 17 household audiences for cable television in 2006. The accompanying �Monday Night Surround� content on ESPN.com sparked an increase of Monday traffic to the site of 52%.

�ESPN�s Monday Night Football greatly exceeded all expectations. Our commitment to present MNF as never before served our fans and lifted every aspect of ESPN�s business. Credit goes to the hundreds of employees who made it work week after week,� said George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN and ABC Sports.

MNF on TV

MNF now occupies nine of the top 10 spots on the list of cable�s biggest household audiences ever (excludes breaking news), including the new #1, the October 23 New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys game (11,807,000 homes, based on a 12.8 rating). Nine games drew larger audiences than ESPN�s previous all-time best, 8,927,000 homes (Detroit at Miami, December 25, 1994).

MNF averaged a 9.9 rating and 9,109,000 homes (12,325,000 P2+), increases of 39%, 43% and 41%, respectively, compared to last year�s ESPN Sunday Night Football (7.1 rating, 6.388 million homes, 8.735 million viewers).

Each MNF game was simulcast on local over-the-air channels in the local markets of the competing teams, boosting ESPN�s audience to an estimated average of 9,600,000 households. This would represent over a 10.0 rating on ESPN. The total also includes those viewing in high definition on ESPN HD.

Other highlights for the 2006 NFL season:

� ESPN led all networks � cable or broadcast � in delivery of all key male demos on Mondays in primetime: men 18+, men 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54.

� Four times, ESPN was the most-watched network � cable or broadcast � in primetime on Monday.

� ESPN led all cable networks in overall household delivery in primetime (an average of 2,427,000 households throughout the week).

� More than 109 million people tuned into Monday Night Football on ESPN at some point in the season.

� For the last 18 consecutive weeks, ESPN has led all cable networks in delivery of adult men on a total-day basis (since the week of August 21), as well as men 18-54.

� Since MNF started, ESPN�s 24-hour audience on Sundays and Mondays is up 23% compared to the same period last year. The network has averaged 1,488,000 homes this year on those two days, compared to 1,209,000 in 2005.

ESPN�s NFL Studio Shows Strong:

� The household audience for Monday Night Countdown is up 23% (from 1,749,000 homes to 2,155,000)

� Sunday NFL Countdown is up 5% (from 1,945,000 to 2,042,000)

� The weekday NFL Live show has seen a 22% rise in viewership (from 443,000 to 542,000).

�Monday Night Surround� on ESPN.com

Online, ESPN.com�s NFL and "Monday Night Surround" content viewed on computers and wireless devices generated an average of 24 million page views on Mondays, up 52% over page views last year according to Web measurement tool HitBox.





  [december 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (ABC)
· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)





[05/20/26 - 12:02 PM]
"A Woman of Substance": Brenda Blethyn Limited Series Marks BritBox's Next Prestige Period Drama
Other June premieres include new seasons of "Beyond Paradise" and "Trigger Point."

[05/20/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: HBO Releases Official Trailer for Original Film "Miss You, Love You," Debuting May 29
A blunt, grieving widow, Diane Patterson (Allison Janney) is forced to plan her husband's funeral with a total stranger: her estranged son's assistant, Jamie Simms (Andrew Rannells).

[05/20/26 - 11:01 AM]
Great American Media Announces New Original, Unscripted Series, "Mark vs. The Mountain," Premiering June 11 on Great American Pure Flix
Meteorologist and former New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti, alongside his wife, interior designer, Krysty Ronchetti, star in the new unscripted series.

[05/20/26 - 11:00 AM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Strikes Multi-Year, First-Look Deal with Emmy Award-Winning Comedian, Actor and Producer JB Smoove
Under the partnership, Smoove will serve as executive producer and creative collaborator on an unscripted slate spanning a range of formats and genres.

[05/20/26 - 10:50 AM]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Emmy-Nominated Docuseries, "Raise The Flags", Makes Its Linear Premiere on NFL Network May 25-29
The series delivers a sweeping portrait of the Buccaneers organization - chronicling its rise from humble beginnings to championship glory in the most comprehensive account of franchise history ever produced.

[05/20/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Michael Jackson: The Verdict" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Told by key players who were inside the courtroom, this three-part comprehensive docuseries dissects the trial of Michael Jackson and his complex legacy.

[05/20/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: MGM+ Debuts Teaser for "The Westies"
The gritty and kinetic crime drama centers on New York City's infamously violent Irish gang of the same name.

[05/20/26 - 10:00 AM]
Lifetime Greenlights Two New Thrillers for This June
Amber Stevens West and Michael Xavier star in "The Jealous Bride" while Remy Ma leads "Don't Trust the Girls Upstairs."

[05/20/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Official Trailer, Key Art and New Imagery for "Strung"
From director Malcolm D. Lee, a talented violinist takes a prestigious job as a music tutor for the gifted daughter of an influential and enigmatic family.

[05/20/26 - 09:31 AM]
Hit Drama Series "The Testaments" from Creator Bruce Miller and Starring Chase Infiniti, Renewed for a Second Season
Season one is now streaming with the season finale on Wednesday, May 27.

[05/20/26 - 09:01 AM]
A24's "Pillion" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max June 5
A timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.

[05/20/26 - 09:01 AM]
AMC Global Media's June Highlights Include "The Vampire Lestat," "You're Killing Me," "Devil in Silver," "Doctor Who" and More
Newly announced premieres include ALLBLK's "Funny Thing About Love" and BBC America's "Wild Spring."

[05/20/26 - 09:00 AM]
The History Channel's Hit Survival Series "Alone" Is Going Global! New Season Premieres June 17
On the heels of the World Cup and for the first time in franchise history, 10 skilled survivalists from around the globe will compete in "Alone: World Championship".

[05/20/26 - 09:00 AM]
Laura Benanti and Tituss Burgess to Host "The Tony Awards: Act One"
The two stage-and-screen icons will kick off Broadway's biggest night with the presentation of the first round of Tony Awards during the exciting pre-show telecast.

[05/20/26 - 07:36 AM]
After Record-Setting 2025 Season, "Sunday Night Football" Finishes Fall-Spring TV Season as Primetime's No. 1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
The series averaged 23.5 million viewers in 2025, marking the show's best-ever viewership - up nearly 1 million viewers from the prior record for the series set a decade ago (22.6 million in 2015 season) and an increase of 9% over the '24 season (21.6 million).