ESPN’s “MNF” Sets New Mark For Biggest Cable Audience Ever

ESPN’s Giants-Cowboys “MNF” Game Sets Cable Record

ESPN’s “MNF” featuring Giants-Cowboys earned a final Nielsen cable rating of 12.8/ (11,807,000 HHs), marking the biggest household audience in the history of cable TV. The previous record was for the ’93 Ross Perot-Al Gore NAFTA debate on CNN, which drew 11,174,000 HHs. The previous record excluded “breaking news,” including CNN’s four Gulf War telecasts in ’91, which this week’s edition of “MNF” has also exceeded. “MNF” over-the-air simulcasts in Dallas and N.Y. drew a 10.5 and 5.3, respectively, boosting ESPN’s audience to an estimated average of 12,400,000 HHs. To date, “MNF” is averaging a 10.8/ (9,961,000 HHs) for eight games in seven weeks, up 50% in ratings and 53% in HHs from a 7.2/ (6,521,000 HHs) for the first seven weeks of ESPN’s “Sunday Night Football” last season (ESPN). USA TODAY’s Michael Hiestand notes “MNF” is averaging 8.9% of all U.S. TV HHs, “just 20% lower” than the HH average for NBC’s “SNF.” NBC TV Group President Randy Falco said in April that Sunday night ratings “will probably be twice as high” as “MNF” (USA TODAY, 10/25).

FOX: Fox posted a 13.1/28 (20.4 million viewers) Nielsen rating for its national 4:00 NFL game on Sunday (most of the country saw Redskins-Colts), up 7% over last year’s comparable 12.3/23 on CBS. The telecast ranks as the third highest-rated program for the week across all dayparts behind a 14.4 for ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and a 13.6 for ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.” Fox’ national game placed first for the week among males 18-34 (8.6), males 18-49 (10.3) and males 25-54 (11.6). Fox’ season-to-date national game average is 13.4/26 (21.4 million viewers), up 10% over last year’s 12.2/24. Fox is also averaging a 10.2 in males 18-34, up 6% from last year’s 9.6; an 11.3 in males 18-49, up 7% from a 10.6; and a 12.5 in males 25-54, up 9% from an 11.5. CBS’ national game is averaging an 11.9, and NBC is earning an 11.1 for “SNF.” Fox’ national game is the fourth highest-rated show in all of TV, trailing “Grey’s Anatomy,” CBS’ “CSI” and ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” (Fox).

LOCAL RATINGS: WITI-Fox in Milwaukee drew its “second-highest rating for any local Packers game this season” with a 37.9/ (334,657 HHs) for Sunday’s Packers-Dolphins game. The second window on Fox, featuring Vikings-Seahawks, averaged a 22.3/ (196,909 HHs), making it the “highest-rated non-Packers game on any local station” since Bears-Vikings on December 5, 2004 (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 10/25).... Chiefs games in K.C. have averaged a 30.7, down from a 34.4 last year and 33.9 in ’04. KCTV-CBS GM Kirk Black, whose station televises most Chiefs games, said, “You had one game go up directly against the local NASCAR race. That meant about 100,000 potential viewers were out at the track.” Black added the schedule, which has included games against the Cardinals and 49ers, “hasn’t been great,” and the Steelers game “was a total wipeout” (K.C. STAR, 10/25).