FOOTBALL ON ESPN ONCE AGAIN OUTDRAWS BROADCAST SHOWS

ESPN’s Monday Night Football drew a bigger audience on Monday than any primetime program on broadcast TV. The game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys averaged 18.8 million viewers and peaked outside of primetime — during the 11:30 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. quarter hour — to 22.5 million, when the Redskins pulled out an upset overtime victory (20-17) over the Cowboys. ESPN said that it was their highest-rated NFL telecast since a Saints/Patriots game played on Nov. 30, 2009. "Overall, the game is now the seventh most-viewed telecast in cable history," the cable sports network observed.