ESPN'S MNF SET CABLE VIEWER RECORD
December 6, 2007

The New England Patriots' narrow, last-minute win to remain undefeated pushed ESPN's "Monday Night Football" to a new record in cable viewership.

The Patriots-Baltimore Ravens game averaged 17.5 million viewers, according to data released Wednesday afternoon by Nielsen Media Research. That was a nose higher than the previous record-holder, Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2" that averaged a then-unheard-of 17.2 million viewers on Aug. 17, 2007.

The appeal of the game stemmed from the Patriots now 12-0 record, the first time since the 1970s that an NFL team has gone undefeated, not to mention the fact that the Patriots won 27-24 in the final minutes of the game. The game began at 10.6 million viewers at 8:30 p.m. ET before rising to the 23.9 million viewers at 11:30 p.m. ET.

"To date it's the game of the year in the NFL, an incredibly compelling game from start to finish," said ESPN executive vp John Wildhack. "The Patriots are the headline story in the NFL this year.

WildSound

Ooh ya, that was a great game! Esp. since the Pat's won though I think if the Ravens had kept it on the ground to kill some time, they probably would have won. Hehe, Tuesday morning quarterbacking here.