or


[09/10/24 - 03:28 PM]
ESPN's "Monday Night Football" Delivers 20.5 Million Viewers, Second Most-Watched Week 1 Game in ESPN Era
Accounting for all weeks, the Jets-49ers is the sixth-most-watched "Monday Night Football" game in the ESPN era, with four of the preceding five occurring during the 2023 season.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN's "Monday Night Football" Delivers 20.5 Million Viewers, Second Most-Watched Week 1 Game in ESPN Era

· Three Seasons of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, along with Lisa Salters, Have Delivered Three Most-Watched Week 1 Games in ESPN's Monday Night Football History

· Monday Night Countdown Draws 1.3 Million Viewers

ESPN's Monday Night Football 2024 season opener averaged 20.5 million viewers (ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, and NFL+) for the 49ers' convincing 32-19 win over the Jets (September 9, 8:15 p.m. ET). The audience is Monday Night Football's second-most-watched Week 1 matchup in ESPN's 19 seasons airing the legendary television franchise ((2006 - present, 34 games).

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters Call ESPN's Most-Watched Week 1 Monday Night Football Games

The three seasons of Monday Night Football with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters on the mic have scored as the three most-watched Week 1 games in the ESPN era. The trio was joined this season by Laura Rutledge on site in San Francisco.

ESPN's Most-Watched Week 1 MNF Games

Rank Season Matchup Viewership

1 2023 Buffalo Bills at New York Jets 22.7 million

2 2024 New York Jets at San Fransico 49ers 20.5 million

3 2022 Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks 19.8 million

Overall, there have been 34 Week 1 games on ESPN platforms due to doubleheaders in most seasons.

Monday Night Football Continues Momentum of Top Games

The strong start to the 2024 season campaign continues the momentum for Monday Night Football. Accounting for all weeks, the Jets-49ers is the sixth-most-watched Monday Night Football game in the ESPN era, with four of the preceding five occurring during the 2023 season.

Monday Night Countdown Draws 1.3 Million Viewers

Leading into the game, Monday Night Countdown (6-8 p.m.) averaged 1.3 million viewers, as Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce, and Marcus Spears joined Scott Van Pelt for the crew's first on-site show together. Adam Schefter also appeared on the programming from Levi's Stadium.

-30-





  [september 2024]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (ABC)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[09/30/26 - 01:00 PM]
Historic "Big Brother" Season Hits 14.8 Billion Minutes Viewed, Up +9% from Last Year
The summer staple also saw year-over-year audience growth, averaging 5.1 million viewers in seven-day multiplatform viewing, up +8% from last summer, while ranking as the summer's most social program across all television programs (excluding sports).
[09/30/26 - 12:50 PM]
ABC's Tuesday Night Kicks Off Strong as "Dancing with the Stars" and Sophomore Drama "R.J. Decker" Each Score 10 Million Total Audience
Sophomore drama "R.J. Decker" earned a total cross-platform audience of 9.61 million, based on viewing over seven days across Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and linear encores.
[09/30/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 21
"Neagley," "Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," and "El Juicio" led all original series worldwide.
[09/29/26 - 03:28 PM]
FOX Sports Hits Home Run with Best MLB on FOX Regular Season Since '21 - No. 1 Among All Networks
Regular season coverage on FOX averaged 2.35 million viewers, up +15% vs. '25.
[09/29/26 - 03:12 PM]
FOX NFL Delivers Most-Watched Early Window of the Day on Any Network in Week 3
17,898,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX's 1:00 PM ET window.
[09/29/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 21 - "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" Takes the No. 1 Spot for a Second Week
"Unabomber" premiered in the top spot on the English film list, gathering 16.4 million views.

[09/29/26 - 12:00 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Viewership Records and Milestones in Inaugural Season of WNBA Coverage Ahead of WNBA Finals on USA Network This October
USA Sports averaged 525,000 viewers across its 48 regular-season games - the most national games of any broadcaster - up 25% vs. 2025 WNBA cable average viewership.
[09/29/26 - 09:50 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Finishes 2025-2026 Season with Largest Overall Audience in Eight Years and Strongest Adults 18-49 in Four Years
In the final week of the 2025-2026 season, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" ranked No. 1 in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.
[09/28/26 - 02:45 PM]
The "VMAs" Scores 8.4 Million Viewers, Up +51% from Last Year, and Hits 11-Year Viewership High
The telecast peaked with over 15 million viewers across CBS and MTV in the opening act, which featured Madonna's first "VMAs" performance in 23 years, including a show-opening medley with Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.

[09/25/26 - 10:51 AM]
Cartman, Kenny, Stan, Kyle and "South America's" Season 29 Premiere Delivers 4.2 Million Multiplatform U.S. Viewers Across Comedy Central and Paramount+
The season premiere on Comedy Central outperformed last season's premiere by double digits on persons 18-49 rating and share and was the #1 non-sports cable telecast for the week with persons 18-49.

[09/25/26 - 10:35 AM]
ESPN Delivered Its Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever!
Across 29 games, the WNBA on ESPN networks averaged 1.37M viewers, up 17% year-over-year and ranking as ESPN networks' most-viewed WNBA regular season on record.

[09/24/26 - 12:25 PM]
ABC News Wins Across the Board in Late Night and Friday Night
"20/20" ranks as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, drawing its largest audience in two months and growing year to year in all key measures.
[09/23/26 - 02:56 PM]
Giants-Rams Becomes ESPN's Most-Watched Week 2 "Monday Night Football" Game Ever with 19.4 Million Viewers
Through the first two weeks, "Monday Night Football" is averaging 21.4 million viewers, up 29% compared to the first two weeks of the 2025 season.
[09/23/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 14
"Reacher," "Neagley," "Sterling Point," "El Juicio," and "The Grand Tour" led all original series worldwide.
[09/22/26 - 03:08 PM]
Record-Breaking Week 3: ESPN/ABC Claim Every Saturday Window; "College GameDay" Continues Historic Start to the Season
ESPN networks delivered the top five most-watched games of Week 3 and accounted for two-thirds of all college football viewing.