ESPN dove deep into this year’s Monday Night Football metrics and uncovered some interesting facts about viewership for the 2023 season, the most-watched MNF season in 23 years.
To summarize its findings, MNF reached 124 million fans, lifted its audience in every key demo by double-digits, and aired four games whose viewership surpassed all previous MNF games dating back to the 2000 NFL season (395+ games).
‘Monday Night Football’ Deep-Dive
In 2023, Monday Night Football averaged 17,363,000 viewers a game. The total viewership represents a growth of 17 percent from the 2022 season and its average viewership is up 29 percent from 2022. The total viewers per game was also up 18 percent from the 2010 MNF season, ESPN’s previous most-watched season in the Monday Night Football era.
ESPN’s Week 18 doubleheader featuring the Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts averaged 19.7 million viewers during the 8:15 p.m. ET window, while the Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (4:30 p.m. ET) reached 19.8 million viewers.
In 2023, ESPN increased its NFL game inventory for the third consecutive season. It aired 23 regular season games and will not only air the Super Wild Card finale on Monday night but will also air a Divisional Round game for the first time.
Broadcast duo Joe Buck and Troy Aikman concluded their second season at ESPN and their 22nd season as partners, an NFL record. Lisa Salters added to her reign as the longest-tenured sideline reporter in MNF history, concluding her 12th season.
The “ManningCast”
Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, affectionately also known as the “ManningCast,” averaged 1.24 million viewers this season in nine games. The series aired its second most-watched show ever in Week 11, hitting 1.9 million viewers for Eagles-Chiefs.
Key Demos for Monday Night Football
ESPN’s collective audience success resulted from individual increases in every key demo. Among the many highlights include:
| Demo | Percentage Increase |
| P12-17 | 38 |
| P18-24 | 27 |
| P18-49 | 20 |
| P25-54 | 20 |
| Females | 39 |
Monday Night Football’s 20-year high viewership was buoyed by individual game viewership successes, including airing the four most-watched games since the 2000 season, including Eagles/Chiefs, Ravens/49ers on Christmas Day, and Lions/Cowboys on Dec. 30.
| Rank | NFL Season | Date | Game | Viewership |
| 1 | 2023 | Nov. 22, 2023 | Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs | 29,026,000 |
| 2 | 2023 | Dec. 25, 2023 | Baltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers | 27,651,000 |
| 3 | 2023 | Dec. 30, 2023 | Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys | 26,107,000 |
| 4 | 2023 | Sept. 11, 2023 | Buffalo Bills at New York Jets | 22,670,000 |
The Toy Story Alternate Broadcast
Lastly, ESPN provided figures for its Week 4 alternate presentation, Toy Story Funday Football. The animated broadcast was set within the Toy Story world and provided a separate broadcast of Falcons vs. Jaguars from Wembley Stadium in London. The Toy Story alternate presentation delivered the biggest live event to date on Disney+, based on peak concurrency.
