ESPN’s successful revitalization of its Monday Night Football product continued in 2024 as the network just announced this was the second-most watched year since they started airing it in 2006. An average of 15 million viewers checked out MNF this season, trailing only the 2023 campaign and up 12% from 2022’s numbers.

And it makes all the sense in the world as ESPN has been able to secure more compelling games and steadied a broadcast booth routinely in flux by bringing in Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, widely recognized as the best in the business.

Other things of note in ESPN’s release:

Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, airing on ESPN2, averaged one million viewers an episode during its 10-episode regular season run in 2024. Since the show began with the 2021 season, the alternate telecast has hit the million viewers per game season average in each of its four seasons. 

ESPN concluded the regular season with 22 million viewers for Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (January 4, 8 p.m. ET), the network’s most-watched Week 18 game in the four seasons Doubleheader Saturday has kicked off the NFL’s Season Finale. The viewership was up 12% year-over-year (Houston at Indianapolis) and provided back-to-back games of at least 22 million viewers for Buck, Aikman and Salters, joining the Monday Night Football Week 17 game (Detroit at San Francisco). 

Beginning Week 18, Cleveland at Baltimore (January 4, 4:30 p.m.) drew 17.3 million viewers. Both Doubleheader Saturday games were available on ABC, ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and NFL+.

Monday Night Football also experimented with The Simpsons Funday Football broadcast back on Dec. 9, aired on ABC and ESPN simultaneous and did everything in their power to increase tonnage.

All in all, another year of forward progress for the venerable franchise, which appears to be in steady hands going forward. And another data point that there is no more valuable real estate for television/streaming outlets than live sports.