ESPN drew an 8.4 overnight rating for the Chiefs' late win over the Redskins, marking the lowest-rated Week 4 "MNF" game since Colts-Buccaneers drew an 8.0 in '11. Redskins-Chiefs also is down 8% from a 9.1 overnight in Week 4 last year for Giants-Vikings. Last night's game peaked at a 9.5 rating from 9:45-10:00pm ET. The game drew a 42.1 local rating in K.C. (15.2 on ESPN, 26.9 on KMBC-ABC) and a 23.2 local rating in DC (11.1 on ESPN, 12.1 on WJLA-ABC). Rounding out the top five markets were Richmond (17.0), Norfolk (14.3) and Denver (13.7) (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
CHANGE OF PLANS: In DC, Cindy Boren notes ESPN "reversed course" last night and showed the national anthem as well as the "moment of silence" that took place in wake of the Las Vegas shooting.The decision to reverse course is one that "reflects the network’s decision to remain nimble as far as showing the anthem" during this season of "MNF." It had intended to "return to its new, normal practice of not showing the anthem." Before the season began, the network "decided not to show the anthem, with two exceptions." One was the "MNF" season opener that "fell on the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and featured a special tribute" at the Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium. And then last week, after "protests popped up across the country in response to tweets and comments by President Trump" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/3).
PROVIDING SOME FUN: In K.C., Maria Torres notes ESPN’s "Monday Night Countdown" started at about 5:00pm CT, "more than two hours before" the kickoff. And with "few missteps, the show was a hit with the tomahawk-chopping crowd." ESPN launched its first "Tailgating Hour" segment during last night's pregame show. The show saw spectators "surrounding a demo-football field in a scene not unlike ESPN’s 'College GameDay.'" With kickoff still a ways off, other "memorable moments" included Matt Hasselbeck’s "tour of the Chiefs’ locker room and equipment room, a recorded message from Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez, Travis Kelce’s swagger-thick entry into the stadium, and ogling signed jerseys" from Gonzalez, Joe Montana and Marcus Allen (K.C. STAR, 10/3).
DELIVERING AN EXPERIENCE: In DC, Deron Snyder writes, "NFL RedZone, where have you been all my life?" Snyder: "I can barely tolerate watching a solitary game broadcast on Sundays." Week 3 was a "prime example of the unmatched excitement that RedZone delivers." Five close games were "decided over the course of about 20 minutes and viewers saw the crucial moments as they occurred." The absence of commercials "makes for seamless viewing." RedZone "isn’t perfect," as the overabundance of 1:00pm ET games -- about eight on average -- can "crowd out a couple." At the same time, the 4:00pm window "can be relatively barren." But Week 4 "provided a bonanza: all four contests were decided late, by six or fewer points" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 10/3).
