'Monday Night Football' Finishes 2018 Season Up in Viewership Over Last Two Years

“Monday Night Football” had its strongest season in two years, wrapping up its 2018 campaign with an average viewership of 11.6 million over 17 games.

That represented an eight percent lift from last year (10.8 million) as well as a two percent increase from 2016 (11.4 million). For the second straight year, “Monday Night Football” was the most-watched series on cable in 2018, and made up nine of the top 20 most-watched cable telecasts this year. The most-watched game of the season was the Kansas City Chiefs-Los Angeles Rams shootout on Nov. 19 — which the Rams won 54-51 in the highest scoring contest in “MNF” history — that averaged 16.7 million viewers, the most for “MNF” in two years.

The improved ratings for “Monday Night Football” continue the NFL’s bounce-back season, following a couple years of declining viewership as the league weathered multiple controversies, including criticism from President Donald Trump over player protests during the national anthem. But, that has largely faded from the public discourse, even as Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who started the movement in 2016, remains unsigned.

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“Thursday Night Football” also saw a small viewership lift in its debut season on Fox, with its expanded 11-game slate averaging 14.3 million viewers, an increase of 3 percent from 2017, which was split between NBC and CBS.

The top 10 MNF metered markets this season were, in order: New Orleans (14.4), Norfolk (Va.) (11.6), Richmond (Va.) (10.9), Kansas City (10.6), Denver (10.5), Washington D.C. (10.1), Seattle-Tacoma (9.9), San Diego, Albuquerque (N.M.) and Phoenix (9.6).

ESPN debuted a new “MNF” announce team this season — Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten and Booger McFarland — following the departure of longtime analyst Jon Gruden, who returned to coach the Oakland Raiders this season. The rookie team was subject to heavy criticism, with Witten, in particular, drawing the most ire. But the group is expected to return in 2019.

Danica Patrick, Sage Steele and Sister Survivors Lead Female Empowerment at espnW Summit (Photos)

The ninth annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit kicked off at the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach, California, on Monday, where the biggest names in sports, business and media tackled difficult topics from sexual abuse, gender equality and creating opportunities for athletes with special needs.
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On Monday afternoon, Danica Patrick told Hannah Storm how she's become a "small business owner" since retiring from professional motor racing earlier this year.
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ESPN's Hannah Storm interviewed 2018 ESPYs host, NASCAR and IndyCar champion, Danica Patrick.
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Nine-time host Sage Steele opened the espnW Summit Monday afternoon.
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Olympic gold medalists Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan and Kendall Coyne Schofield talked with Julie Foudy about standing up to the International Ice Hockey Federation in their fight for equality.
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Beth Mowins, Doris Burke, Sage Steele, Sam Ponder and Maria Taylor join forces for "Breaking Barriers in Sports Media" panel.
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Connor Schell, ESPN executive vice president, content, laughed and swapped notes with Sage Steele ahead of the "Breaking Barriers in Sports Media" panel.
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Grammy-nominated singer Andra Day talked to espnW's "Be Honest" host and "SportsCenter" co-anchor Cari Champion about her empowering hit song "Rise Up," which became the anthem for the week.
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Andra Day got the crowd in on the action as they surged the stage to close out her intimate performance on Monday night.
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"SportsCenter" co-anchor Cari Champion presented her signature "Be Honest" segment.
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Maverick Carter proved he's so much more than LeBron James' best friend and manager when he detailed their growing entertainment empire. Stressing the importance of authenticity, "if you build it on bulls--t, it won’t last," he told Cari Champion.
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"Sister Survivors" Olympic gold medalist Jordyn Wieber and Sarah Klein talked with ESPN's Mina Kimes about testifying against Dr. Larry Nassar and fighting to make gymnastics safe for all girls.
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ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro flew in from New York City just for a W Spotlight conversation with Sage Steele on Wednesday (pictured with director espnW Rachel Epstein), where he talked about both successes and failures, including letting his family dogs escape when first moving to Connecticut to take his new job.
Aspiring business women from around the world gathered on the stage to honor the Global Sports Mentoring Around the World on Tuesday night.
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An international soccer breaks out ahead of the Global Sports Mentoring Around the World presentation.
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Andra Day’s “Rise Up” becomes the theme song for ESPN’s annual gathering of the world’s female athletes, leaders in the sports world and industry influencers

The ninth annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit kicked off at the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach, California, on Monday, where the biggest names in sports, business and media tackled difficult topics from sexual abuse, gender equality and creating opportunities for athletes with special needs.

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Danica Patrick, Sage Steele and Sister Survivors Lead Female Empowerment at espnW Summit (Photos)

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