Weekly Cable Ratings: Broncos-Bills ‘Monday Night Football’ Helps ESPN Score Second-Straight Primetime Win

Courtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos makes a catch for touchdown during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on November 13, 2023
The Denver Broncos-Buffalo Bills ‘Monday Night Football’ game drew 7.3 million viewers to ESPN. (Image credit: Getty Images)

ESPN racked up its second-straight primetime ratings win on the strength of Monday Night Football.

The sports network averaged 2.2 million viewers for the week of November 13-19, besting second-place Fox News Channel’s 1.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen figures supplied by Fox News. ESPN was paced by the 7.3 million viewers that watched the Nov. 13 Denver Broncos-Buffalo Bills game on the network. 

Hallmark Channel’s holiday-themed programming has helped push the network into third place with 1.4 million viewers, followed by MSNBC’s 1.2 million viewers and HGTV’s 738,000 watchers.

History was sixth for the week with 703,000 viewers, followed by TBS (661,000 viewers), Food Network (634,000), INSP (597,000), and USA Network (595,000).

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News blew away the competition for its ninth straight win with 1.2 million viewers. ESPN finished a distant second with 864,000 viewers, followed by MSNBC (833,000), Hallmark Channel (673,000) and CNN (456,000). 

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.