Football from New Orleans is night's top show, sets ESPN record

from multichannel news

ESPN Breaks Ratings Record
By Steve Donohue

ESPN drew a record 11.8 rating (14,999,000 viewers two-plus) to its
Monday Night Football game, which featured the New Orleans Saints
return to the Louisiana Superdome for the first time since Hurricane
Katrina.

The Saints-Falcons game, which also featured a pre-game performance
from bands U2 and Green Day, was the highest-rated program in ESPN
history. It was also the top program on both broadcast or cable
networks Monday night.

altec3220...

That last statement may not be true. At least two broadcast shows were
watched by more viewers, according to Berman's ratings. And CSI: Miami
may have also had a higher rating; 12.6 versus 11.8, although the
overnight rating for CSI: Miami could potentially drop below 11.8 in
the final nationals.

Still, incredible ratings for ESPN and solid proof that football fans
will follow their sport just about anywhere.

evwill...

An incredible rating to be sure but one that said nothing about the
mindset of football fans. The game was held under a subtext that
ensured a non-typical audience.

altec3220...

True, but earlier games drew over 12 million viewers, so only a few
extra million tuned in due to the reopening of the dome in New Orleans.

Everett W.

GarondoMarondo...

In 2006 I just don't think there's any difference for most people
between watching something on basic cable or a network, this isn't that
big a deal, especially for NFL football.

..
Garondo Marondo!

ESPN also drew big traffic on the Web with its football coverage,
generating more than 27 million page views on Monday, the network
said, citing HitBox data.