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.

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