• Average 15.8 million viewers across 21-games; Up 9% vs. 2024
• Achieved a record number of games with an audience north of 20 million
• Experienced increases in key P18-49 and more demo groups
• Doubleheader Saturday: Seahwawks-49ers generated more than 27.5 million viewers; NFL’s most-watched game in Week 18
• Monday (Jan. 12) Wild Card matchup (Texans-Steelers) and Divisional Round postseason games conclude NFL season on ESPN

The 2025 Monday Night Football regular season ranked as ESPN’s second-most-watched MNF season in the company’s 20-year history of televising the iconic NFL franchise, highlighting a year which included a record for most ESPN MNF games over 20 million viewers, viewership gains across every major demographic and further expansion of innovative alternate telecasts. Following the conclusion of the MNF slate, ESPN capped the season with the NFL’s most-watched Week 18 game, as Seahawks-49ers achieved over 27.5 million viewers.

Across the 21 games, and not including the two games in Week 18, MNF averaged 15.8 million viewers per game, besting every season dating back to 2006, except 2023, and was up 9% over 2024. Adding in the two Week 18 games, ESPN’s entire 23-game schedule averaged 16.5 million viewers per game, up 10% vs. 2024’s 23-game regular season schedule.

In the midst of generating the near-record season-long audience, MNF delivered three of its top eight most-watched games ever, led by Lions-Ravens (22.8 million viewers), ESPN’s fourth most-watched MNF game. Chiefs-Jaguars (22.3 million) and Vikings-Bears (22.1 million) ranked as the sixth and eighth most-watched, respectively. Overall, MNF exceeded 20 million viewers for five games, an ESPN MNF record for a single season.

The 2025 season extended MNF’s strong momentum, with ESPN now having aired its eight most-watched MNF games over the past four seasons (2022–2025). That surge coincides with the Buck–Aikman era, as the three most recent seasons (2023–2025) now rank as ESPN’s three most-watched MNF seasons since 2006, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the booth alongside Lisa Salters and, most recently, Laura Rutledge.

Amongst the demos in the 2025 season, MNF posted a 5% increase in Persons 18-49 and a 15% jump among females compared to 2024. Double-digit increases were seen in Persons 2–17 (up 20%) and Persons 18–24 (up 17%).

In total, throughout the regular season, which included four weeks of multiple MNF games in one night, over 130 million viewers watched the NFL on ESPN in 2025.

ESPN’s 2025–26 NFL postseason continues with a Monday night Wild Card matchup on January 12 (8 p.m. ET) as the AFC’s fifth-seed Houston Texans face the AFC North champion and fourth-seed Pittsburgh Steelers. Houston enters the playoffs on a nine-game winning streak, while Pittsburgh is coming off a dramatic Week 18 win. ESPN’s NFL season wraps up the following week with a Divisional Round game on January 17 or 18.

Strong Week 18 Viewership Elevates ESPN’s Season Average to 16.5 Million Per Game
In Week 18, as part of ESPN’s Doubleheader Saturday, ESPN concluded the regular season with 27.5 million viewers for Seahawks-49ers (January 3, 7:45 p.m. ET) and 21 million viewers for Panthers-Buccaneers (January 3, 4:15 p.m.). Additional details on Week 18:

• Seahawks-49ers was up 25% vs. the comparable Week 18 primetime game (Bengals-Steelers).
• Including all regular season MNF and NFL on ESPN games, the NFC West showdown ranks as ESPN’s third most-watched NFL game since 2006.
• Seahawks-49ers ranked as the most-watched Week 18 game across all networks.
• Panthers-Buccaneers was up 22% vs. the comparable Week 18 game (Browns-Ravens).

Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli Wraps up its Fifth Regular Season
Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli once again brought fans viral moments, expert analysis and 33 notable and exciting guests throughout their 10-episode MNF run. New this season, the Manning brothers introduced viewers to XR technology, which resulted in an enhanced way for Peyton and Eli to analyze and break down various plays throughout each telecast.

More Ways Than Ever to Watch Monday Night Football
ESPN continued to expand the MNF viewing experience with innovative alternate presentations designed to reach a wide range of audiences. In Week 14, the third iteration of Funday Football debuted as Monsters Funday Football, a real-time animated telecast featuring Mike and Sulley from Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. alongside the Eagles and Chargers. Produced in collaboration with Disney, the NFL, and Sony, as previously reported, the presentation averaged 563,000 viewers across ESPN2, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney+.

Building off of that momentum, ESPN introduced MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats in Week 16. The network’s newest data- and analytics-driven alternate presentation caters to hardcore NFL fans and earned strong praise across social media, underscoring the growing appetite for innovative ways to experience MNF.

Additional Information on ESPN’s Wild Card and Divisional Round Postseason Games
Both Wild Card (Texans-Steelers) and Divisional (TBD) playoff games will be available on ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes, ESPN App and streaming on mobile through NFL+. For Monday’s Wild Card game, Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli will air on ESPN2 while MNF Playbook will stream on the ESPN app.

Note: Throughout the season, MNF aired across a combination of ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, the ESPN App, Disney+ and NFL+ each week.

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