"Monday Night Football" Helps ESPN Win the Night

Last night's Monday Night Football game - a San Francisco 49ers' 31-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in the 700th game all-time in the history of MNF - helped ESPN win the night among all networks in viewers, households and all key male and adult demos. The game ranked as the top telecast of the night across cable and broadcast among the key male demos, as well as adults 18-34 and 18-49.

The game averaged a 7.9 household US rating, 9,224,000 households and 12,712,000 viewers (P2+), according to Nielsen. It peaked from 9:30-9:45 p.m. with a 9.2 rating and 15,002,000 viewers.

In San Francisco, the game delivered an 8.1 rating on ESPN and a 15.9 on KPIX-CBS, for a combined 24.1 rating in the market. In St. Louis, the game delivered an 8.2 rating on ESPN and a 7.5 on KPLR-CW, for a combined 15.7 rating in the market.

The top 10 metered markets (in addition to those of the competing teams) included: Sacramento (20.2), Las Vegas (16.7), San Diego (15.1), New Orleans (13.2), Phoenix (11.9), Seattle (11.4), Indianapolis (11.3), Norfolk (10.4), Baltimore (10.3) and Richmond (9.8).

Through the first six weeks (seven games), ESPN's Monday Night Football is averaging an 8.3 household US rating; 9,638,000 households and 13,366,000 viewers.

MNF on ESPN Deportes

The 49ers-Rams telecast on ESPN Deportes, ESPN's Spanish-language sports network, is the network's highest-rated and most-viewed game of the 2014 season, averaging a 0.6 Hispanic Household US rating with 94,000 Hispanic Households, and 130,000 Hispanic P2+ impressions, increases of 185 percent and 141 percent, respectively, over the Week 6 game last year. The game also ranks as the second most-watched NFL game ever on the network among Hispanic Households (Cowboys-Bears on 12/9/13 averaged 105,000 Hispanic Households).

Season-to-date, MNF on ESPN Deportes is averaging a 0.4 Hispanic Household US rating (a 100 percent gain) with 58,000 Hispanic Households and 87,000 Hispanic P2+ impressions, increases of 93 percent and 123 percent, respectively.

ESPN Digital

On WatchESPN, the game reached 339,000 unique viewers (up 110 percent compared to week 5 last year) while logging 23.4 million minutes viewed (up 105 percent). The game had an average minute audience of 112,000 (up 89 percent). Additionally, it drove ESPN as the most social network for the sixth straight Monday, in addition to MNF as the most social program for the day.

ESPN's NFL coverage on digital platforms also attracted an average minute audience of 782,000 on Sunday (up 26 percent). In addition, ESPN Fantasy Football content across ESPN.com (computers, smartphones and tablets) and the app logged an average minute audience of 401,000 on Sunday (up 53 percent) and generated 43 percent of ESPN's total digital audience for the day. The app alone had 5.3 million unique visitors on Sunday, up 26 percent.

Next Week: JJ Watt and Houston Texans vs. Ben Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh Steelers on MNF

Next week, ESPN's MNF returns with JJ Watt and the Houston Texans traveling to Pittsburgh to face Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers at 8:15 p.m. ET (kickoff at 8:30 p.m.).