ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOW: ABC’s Chiefs-Broncos Monday night game drew 9.73 million households, about 30 percent off the net’s four-year September average. However, it was up against the rescheduled Tennessee-LSU college football game, which drew 2.77 million households on ESPN2. Geena Davis, the star of ABC’s “Commander in Chief,” promoted that show’s premiere during a second-quarter interview with Al Michaels and John Madden. That program drew 12.15 million households the next night.
NFL, RATINGS HEAD SOUTH: ESPN’s Sunday night 49ers-Cardinals game, played in Mexico City, drew 5.76 million households, the smallest audience to watch a September game since 5.4 million households watched a Bengals-Falcons matchup on the same weekend in 2002. However, this year’s game was still cable’s most-watched show of the week, nearly doubling its closest non-sports offering, “Halloween II: Kalabar” on Disney Channel. ESPN and ESPN2 programming made up five of cable’s 14 most-watched shows.
| TOP 10 NETWORK SPORTS TELECASTS |
| RANK | NET | PROGRAM | DATE | RATING | SHARE | HOUSEHOLDS WATCHING (000S) |
| 1 | FOX | NFL: REGIONAL COVERAGE (LATE GAMES) | 10/2 | 12 | 23 | 13268 |
| 2 | ABC | NFL: MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (K.C.-DENVER) | 9/26 | 8.8 | 14 | 9726 |
| 3 | CBS | NFL: REGIONAL COVERAGE (EARLY GAMES) | 10/2 | 7.9 | 18 | 8671 |
| 4 | ABC | NFL: MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PREGAME | 9/26 | 7.7 | 12 | 8494 |
| 5 | FOX | NFL: POSTGAME | 10/2 | 6.9 | 12 | 7636 |
| 6 | FOX | NFL: REGIONAL COVERAGE (EARLY GAMES) | 10/2 | 5.7 | 13 | 6285 |
| 7 | NBC | NASCAR: NEXTEL CUP TALLADEGA 500 | 10/2 | 5.3 | 11 | 5841 |
| 8 | ABC | COLLEGE FOOTBALL: REGIONAL COVERAGE | 10/1 | 4.8 | 11 | 5248 |
| 9 | CBS | NFL: POSTGAME | 10/2 | 4.7 | 10 | 5228 |
| 10 | ABC | NFL: MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL POSTGAME | 9/26 | 4.5 | 11 | 5008 |
| TOP 10 CABLE SPORTS TELECASTS |
| | |
| -- RATING -- |
|
|
| RANK | NET | PROGRAM | DATE | NATIONAL | COV. AREA | SHARE | HOUSEHOLDS WATCHING (000S) |
| 1 | ESPN | NFL: SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (49ERS-CARDS.) | 10/2 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 10 | 5760 |
| 2 | ESPN | NFL: PRIME TIME | 10/2 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 6 | 3213 |
| 3 | ESPN2 | COLLEGE FOOTBALL (TENN.-LSU) | 9/26 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 5 | 2768 |
| 4 | ESPN | MLB: (YANKEES-RED SOX) | 9/30 | 2.5 | 3 | 6 | 2729 |
| 5 | ESPN | COLLEGE FOOTBALL (NOTRE DAME/PURDUE) | 10/1 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 5 | 2502 |
| 6 | ESPN | SPORTSCENTER (LATE) | 10/2 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 7 | 2323 |
| 7 | ESPN | BASEBALL TONIGHT | 9/30 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 4 | 1915 |
| 8 | ESPN | NFL COUNTDOWN | 10/2 | 1.6 | 2 | 5 | 1816 |
| 9 | ESPN | COLLEGE FOOTBALL (VIRGINIA TECH-WV) | 10/1 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 5 | 1656 |
| 10 | ESPN | COLLEGE FOOTBALL (AIR FORCE/COLO. STATE) | 9/29 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3 | 1494 |
Rating — Estimated percent of all TV households of persons tuned to a specific program source. One ratings point equals 1,102,000 homes.
Share — Estimated percent of all households using television at that time which are tuned to a specific program source.Source: Nielsen Media Research
