The much-anticipated New York Jets debut of Aaron Rodgers on Monday Night Football this week drew a record-setting audience for ESPN.
Average viewership of the game was 22.644 million across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, NFL+ and ESPN Deportes. That figure surpassed the 2009 Monday night game featuring Brett Favre’s first game against the Green Bay Packers as the network’s most-watched. That broadcast averaged 21.8 million.
Viewership was up 14% year over year. Last year’s MNF debut for announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman averaged 19.8 million, setting a new Week 1 record.
For the ManningCast on ESPN2, it averaged 1.52 million, which was an increase from Week 1 last year.
ESPN will have its first of four MNF doubleheaders in Week 2. Saints/Panthers will air on ESPN at 7:15 p.m., with Browns/Steelers kicking off at 8:15 on ABC.
