Monday's Patriots-Bills game peaked with an 8.9 rating between 10:30-10:45pm ETGETTY IMAGES
ESPN saw a ratings uptick for its Week 8 "MNF" telecast last night featuring Patriots-Bills. The contest drew a 7.9 overnight for the Patriots' 25-6 win, up 10% from a 7.2 last year for Broncos-Chiefs. Two years ago, Vikings-Bears also drew a 7.2. The games from '17 and '16 remain the lowest-rated Week 8 "MNF" for ESPN since it acquired rights to the package prior to the '06 season. Last night's game peaked with an 8.9 rating from 10:30-10:45pm ET. Buffalo led all local markets with a 41.0 rating (10.5 on ESPN, 30.5 on WKBW-ABC), followed by a 37.4 in Boston (9.8 on ESPN, 6.2 on WMUR-ABC and 21.4 on WCVB-ABC). Providence (20.0), New Orleans (13.0) and Hartford-New Haven (12.6) rounded out the top five markets (Josh Carpenter, THE DAILY).
GLASS CASE OF EMOTION: USA TODAY's Andy Nesbitt noted ESPN's Booger Mobile last night had a "slightly different look" after weeks of "complaints from fans." ESPN removed the board and TV on Booger McFarland's cart and replaced it with plexiglass, which "seems to be better than the old look." ESPN had placed the TV on the Booger Mobile so fans could "watch the game, though the feed on the TV was often far behind the play on the field" and blocked fans' view (USATODAY.com, 10/29). The Houston Chronicle's Stephanie Stradley tweeted putting McFarland in the booth with Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten "would really solve the problem." Stradley: "The NFL really sometimes acts like it hates its fans. Yes, if the NFL wasn’t ok with this, it wouldn’t happen" (TWITTER.com, 10/30).
SELF ANALYSIS: ESPN's Tessitore prior to last night's game said the scrutiny the "MNF" crew has received is "what I was told to expect, but until you experience it, it's like nothing else." He added, "We’re a different kind of show. We have a show that is willing to take some risks. We have a show that is a very passion-based broadcast, we’re very passionate about football." Tessitore believes last week's Giants-Falcons broadcast resulted in the "most cohesive three-man conversation that we’ve had to date." Tessitore said McFarland and Witten had a "great broadcast in terms of going back and forth and finding each other in deeper conversation." Tessitore: "We know we have to improve. I have to improve" (BOSTON.com, 10/29).
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS: USA TODAY's A.J. Perez wrote NFL broadcasts so far this season have "seen something that's been absent the last couple of years: ratings growth." CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus cited a "number of reasons" for the increases. He noted there have been a "lot of really good storylines," including young QBs like the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes playing well, while the 8-0 Rams have "driven a lot of interest and there have been several overtime games." McManus: "The NFL has and for the foreseeable future will be the strongest programming on television.” He said CBS in particular has been "blessed" by both the storylines and the competitive games this season (USATODAY.com, 10/29). Chiefs Chair & CEO Clark Hunt said there was a "lot of concern" around the league and also from those who follow the NFL about the "decrease in ratings two consecutive years and that has turned around, and I’m not sure that was expected.” Hunt: “I’ve heard people mention the NFL is more exciting this year, there are a number of high-powered offenses that help drive that. I get it. It’s fun to watch our offense play and I think that’s really helped ratings not only here in Kansas City but also around the country" (AP, 10/30).
BEAR MARKET: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal noted Sunday's Jets-Bears game averaged a 25.04 local rating on Sunday. The local rating peaked at a 28.1 around 2:15pm CT as the Bears "pulled away" in their 24-10 win (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/30).
