ESPN earned its lowest overnight in at least six years for a Week 3 Monday Night Football game.
The Week 3 Bears/Jets Monday Night Football game drew a 9.2 overnight rating on ESPN, down 11% from Raiders/Broncos last year (10.3) and down 20% from the Packers/Seahawks ‘Fail Mary’ game in 2012 (11.5). The 9.2 is ESPN’s lowest Week 3 overnight since at least 2008 (overnights prior to 2009 were not available).
Keep in mind the Week 3 game has usually featured some higher-profile teams — the Cowboys in 2009 and 2011, the Packers in 2010 and 2012, and Peyton Manning‘s Broncos last year.
Overnights have now declined for three of the four MNF games on ESPN this season. Keep in mind that last week, overnights declined but the final ratings ended up increasing over last year. Considering the double-digit gap this week, a repeat of that is unlikely.
ESPN’s telecast drew a 16.9 rating in Chicago and a 7.5 in New York. The game was simulcast on local affiliates in both markets, earning a 31.1 on Chicago independent affiliate WCIU and an 11.0 on New York independent affiliate WPIX, reports Sports Media Watch.