ESPN Delivers Its Most-Watched MNF Game Ever

• Record Audience is Up 14% from 2022 Monday Night Football Season Opener
• Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli Draws 1.52 Viewers

ESPN’s 2023 Monday Night Football season debut was a record breaker, as more than 22.6 million viewers watched the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets (ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, NFL+, ESPN Deportes). 

The viewership of 22,644,000 million surpasses the 2009 Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers game, which featured Brett Favre returning to Lambeau Field, as the most-watched ESPN Monday Night Football game (21.8 million viewers).

The record audience peaked at 25.2 million viewers in the first half (9-9:15 p.m. ET), when Buffalo took a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter.

2023 MNF Season Opener Up Double Digits
The Bills-Jets is up 14% from the 2022 Monday Night Football opener (19.8 million, Denver at Seattle) – an audience which was a record-setting MNF Week 1 game at the time.

Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli Adds to Record Books
Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli on ESPN2 had an audience of 1.52, up from the show’s 2022 Week 1 audience. The alternate presentation show now holds ESPN’s 20 most-watched alternate telecasts (more than 100).

Monday Night Football Momentum Continues
Since the start of the 2022 season, Monday Night Football has now delivered three of its five most-watched Monday games (out of nearly 300 games – beginning in 2006). Looking at September games, ESPN now has surpassed 19 million viewers for each of its standalone game in 2022 and 2023.