In a unique twist, the Monday night football game between the Chargers and the Cardinals was split into a staggered doubleheader format, with one game airing on broadcast and cable networks while the other was streamed exclusively on ESPN+. The decision to divide the games was met with less-than-stellar results in terms of viewership, particularly for the game that was streamed.
The audience numbers for the streamed game were not included in ESPN’s press release for the Week 7 Monday night matchups. According to a source familiar with the data, the game only attracted 1.8 million viewers. This figure takes into account viewership from over-the-air channels in the local markets of Phoenix and Los Angeles.
While 1.8 million viewers might not be a terrible number for some sporting events, it falls well below expectations for an NFL game. It’s no wonder ESPN chose not to highlight the audience numbers for the Chargers-Cardinals matchup.
The lackluster performance of the staggered doubleheader has some questioning whether ESPN will opt for a similar format in the future. Perhaps the low viewership numbers will convince the network to abandon the idea altogether. As one observer put it, “Hopefully, the number was low enough to get ESPN to not do another staggered doubleheader with one of the games on ESPN+. And if they want to get rid of staggered Monday night doubleheaders altogether, I won’t complain.”
In the world of American football, where ratings and viewership are king, the fate of future staggered doubleheaders remains uncertain. Only time will tell if this experiment was a success or if it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
