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 (ESPN)
· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)





[11/21/25 - 01:01 PM]
Netflix Wins Drama Series "Trigger Point" and Orders Hot Package Straight to Series
Joel Edgerton stars in an action crime drama about a group of former Tier One Special Forces Operators who sell their elite skills to the criminal underworld behind the front of a private military contracting firm - and the FBI agent who's hunting for them.

[11/21/25 - 12:13 PM]
"Henry David Thoreau" to Air on PBS March 2026
The three-part, three-hour film examines the life and work of the 19th-century writer in the context of antebellum New England and the larger United States, as well as through the universal themes he focused on in his writings.

[11/21/25 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Series Top L+7 Multiplatform Competitive Charts
Seven weeks into the 2025/26 broadcast season, "Tracker" is the #1 series, averaging 14.2 million viewers across broadcast and streaming.

[11/21/25 - 11:00 AM]
Video: New Trailer of Upcoming Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret.

[11/21/25 - 09:00 AM]
What's New on HBO Max This December
New films due next month include "The Family McMullen," A24's "Ne Zha II," A24 documentary "Architecton," and Bleeker Street's "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues."

[11/21/25 - 09:00 AM]
"TMZ Presents: TMZ's Most Outrageous Moments of 2025" Premieres Tuesday, December 2 at 9/8c on FOX
TMZ brings you an ultimate year-end spectacle packed with the most jaw-dropping moments, epic surprises, and unforgettable blunders of 2025!

[11/21/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV Releases Exclusive Sneak Peek of the New Season of "Love During Lockup"
The prequel to "Love After Lockup," "Love During Lockup," reveals the fascinating moments that occur when people in the free world look for love and begin relationships with inmates, capturing their journey as they count down the days, weeks, months, or even years until the anticipated release.

[11/21/25 - 07:39 AM]
Great American Media Celebrates "Christmas as It's Meant to Be" as the Exclusive Broadcast Home of the 2025 National Christmas Tree Lighting
Great American Media will exclusively broadcast the ceremony on Great American Family Friday, December 5 at 8 p.m. ET, with streaming available on Great American Pure Flix through January 31, 2026.

[11/21/25 - 06:03 AM]
FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw Presentation Features Unprecedented 3 1/2 Hours of Live Coverage on Broadcast Television
FOX Sports' veteran sportscasters Rob Stone and Jenny Taft will anchor the network's on-site broadcast alongside former U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) stars and acclaimed analysts Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden.

[11/21/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When the sneaky director of a toy company kidnaps Santa, it's up to a father and son to rescue him and save Christmas from disaster.

[11/20/25 - 04:55 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Jumps to Season Highs with Epic "Prince Night"
The show rose dramatically over its year-ago penultimate episode in Total Viewers, with its best semifinals performance in seven years.

[11/20/25 - 02:50 PM]
Video: Watch the Trailers - "OWN for the Holidays" Returns with Three Festive New Movies
"Fake Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Christmas Showdown," and "Very Merry Mystery" are on tap in the coming weeks.

[11/20/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Christmas in Nashville" Unveils Star-Studded Performer Lineup for Dec. 3 Country Music Holiday Special on NBC
Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, Lauren Alaina, NE-YO, The War and Treaty and Trace Adkins are set to perform holiday favorites.

[11/20/25 - 12:32 PM]
"The Tonight Show" Enters the Upside Down - "Stranger Things" Cast to Make a Series of Guest Appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"
Millie Bobby Brown will co-host with Fallon on December 7, which is the final post-"Sunday Night Football" special episode of the season.

[11/20/25 - 12:30 PM]
Video: Acorn TV Debuts Trailer and Key Art for "The Madame Blanc Mysteries" Two-Part Christmas Special
Created by and starring Sally Lindsay, the special is set to premiere on Monday, December 15 and Monday, December 22, respectively, in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.