ESPN Tackles Cable Audience Mark With 'MNF'
17.5 Million Viewers Watch Patriots-Ravens, Besting Disney Channel’s ‘HSM2’
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 12/5/2007 7:15:00 AM
Move over Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay. Tom, Randy and Ray Lewis have got you beat.
ESPN’s Dec. 3 Monday Night Football match-up between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens became the most-watched cable telecast ever, pushing Disney Channel’s premiere of telefilm High School Musical 2 out of the Nielsen record books.
New England’s controversial, last-second 27-24 victory that kept its perfect record intact tackled 12.5 million households and 17.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research data, both cable records. The game, which was not decided until the final play, pulled a 13.0 household rating.
For its part, the Aug. 17 debut of High School Musical 2 registered a 10.2 household rating and attracted 17.2 million viewers.
On Dec. 3, ESPN outdelivered all broadcast and cable networks in primetime among households, viewers and all key male and adult demo groups -- males18 to 34,18 to 49 and 25 to 54, and persons 18 to 34, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54. According to officials, it marked the third time ESPN has won Monday night overal this seasonl; MNF has controlled the male demos during each of its game telecasts in 2007.
The Dec. 3 contest easily topped ESPN’s previous best MNF game—the Oct. 23, 2006 meeting between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants that drew a 12.8 rating, 11.8 million households and 16 million viewers, according to Nielsen data.
The audience for the Pats-Raven peaked from 11:30 p.m. through 11:45 p.m. (the telecast ended at 11:49 p.m.) with a 17.6 rating, translating into 16.9 million households and nearly 23.9 million viewers. For that quarter hour, ESPN’s claimed a national 31 share, according to network officials.
ESPN’s previous best MNF outing this season came on Oct. 29, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Denver Broncos on the first play from scrimmage in OT, 19-13. For that game, ESPN pulled a 10.5 rating, 10.2 million homes and 14 million viewers.
ESPN’s stellar MNF performance came just four days after NFL Network rang up a 14.6 coverage area rating with its Nov. 29 game in which the Dallas Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers 37-27. The Thursday Night Football tilt posted the highest rating on cable since CNN’s Larry King Live presented a free trade debate by then Vice President Al Gore and Ross Perot in November 1993 that notched an 18.1 rating.
NFL Network garnered 10.1 million viewers for its match-up of then 10-1 clubs last Thursday.
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