Audience Insights: Even Broadcasters Believe in the Power of Cable Sports

10.15.2024 David Gustafson2 min

Like millions of viewers across the country, we here at Cox Media tend to be football fanatics!

From videos on our social platforms to Audience Insights articles here on the Learning Hub, we have repeatedly extolled the virtues of live football – particularly ESPN’s Monday Night Football – as a vital foundation for successful fall marketing campaigns.

And now, thanks to the recent announcement of ABC’s plans to add more MNF to their fall programming lineup, you don’t just have to take our word for it. Even “Big Broadcast” sees the value of associating itself with live Cable sports. In this election season, those of us here at the Audience Insights desk are excited to pick up such a prominent endorsement because all the polling continues to point toward ESPN maintaining its prominent position as a powerbroker in the exciting world of televised sports.

Here are three reasons why:

1. ESPN outperformed ABC head-to-head in Week 1 among core viewing audience! Continuing a trend from last season, ESPN’s simulcast coverage of the Monday Night Football season opener between the Jets and 49ers on Sept. 9 again debunked the myth that penetration percentages and potential reach define audience delivery. Based on Nielsen national averages for that game, “underdog” ESPN out-delivered ABC by 41% among male viewers between the ages of 25 and 54.(1)

2. Overall, ESPN delivers a more affluent Monday Night Football fan base! Through the first five weeks of the 2024 season, ESPN and ABC overlapped three times on Monday Night Football coverage – one simulcast and two weeks with competing games. Nielsen’s Total U.S. averages for those three weeks show that income levels for ESPN’s MNF audience rank 14% higher than ABC’s MNF audience.(2)

3. ESPN also delivers a younger MNF audience than ABC! Similar analysis of Nielsen’s national data for those three overlapping weeks of Monday Night Football reveals that the median age among ABC MNF viewers is over 57, compared to under 50 years of age for ESPN MNF viewers. That means ESPN’s typical Monday Night Football audience is more than 13% younger than ABC’s.(3)

Based on these numbers, we agree more than ever with the sentiments of Monday Night Football’s current theme song. There’s most definitely still something special “in the air tonight” on ESPN every Monday of the season. If you’re already in the game, thank you! And if you’re ready to learn more about the role football and other live sports can play in your next marketing campaign, use the form on this page to connect with a Marketing Expert or contact your local Cox Media team today!


Sources:

(1) Cox Media analysis of Nielsen Total U.S. data for Monday Night Football games on 9/9/2024, 9/23/2024 and 9/30/2024; average Live+SD M25-54 audience projections by network.
(2) Cox Media analysis of Nielsen Total U.S. data for Monday Night Football games on 9/9/2024, 9/23/2024 and 9/30/2024; estimated Median Income values by network (Live+SD; P2+).
(3) Cox Media analysis of Nielsen Total U.S. data for Monday Night Football games on 9/9/2024, 9/23/2024 and 9/30/2024; estimated Median Age values by network (Live+SD; P2+).

Headshot_David Gustafson
About the Author

David Gustafson

As Cox Media’s Director of Audience Research, David drives positive outcomes for marketers by applying a unique blend of data-informed analysis, industry expertise, and storytelling skills that have earned him a tenured role as the company’s “Professor.” Specializing in audience measurement and market intelligence, David is a member of the Ampersand Cross-MVPD Research Committee, Nielsen Local Policy Guidelines Committee (PGC) and VAB Measurement Innovation Task Force, as well as client advisor to Comscore.

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