• by Wayne Friedman , September 17, 2008

Just before broadcasters release all their big premieres next week, one cable network, ESPN, showed off some muscle through its high-profile "Monday Night Football" series--posting the biggest numbers for a cable program ever.

Featuring big-name teams and a high-scoring game in which the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 41-37, ESPN grabbed a hefty Nielsen 13.3 household rating and 18.6 million viewers. This edged the previous record--ESPN's New England-Baltimore "Monday Night Football" on Dec. 3, 2007, which earned a 13.0 household rating and 17.5 million homes. It was the second straight win for ESPN on Monday night, where the sports cable network beat all broadcast and cable networks.

This rating easily blasted all broadcast networks, which were way down the list. CBS, for example, averaged only 7.3 million viewers as the best of the bunch. NBC had 6.0 million; ABC and Fox earned 5.7 million each; Univision had 4.5 million; and CW took in 3.5 million.

Fox lost some steam among young males for its second week of "Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles." Those viewers moved over to watch football. Among 18-49 viewers, "Terminator" lost 15% to a 2.0 rating/6 share. Fox's other drama, "Prison Break," also lost some momentum, sitting at a 2.4/6 among 18-49 viewers.

The best story of the evening for the broadcasters came for the CW, as its "Gossip Girl" soared to new heights among its core 18-34 viewers. "Gossip Girl" earned a 2.7/8, improving 17% above its previous best-ever-scoring episode.

CW's "One Tree Hill" also took in a strong 1.7/4 among 18-34 viewers. All that gave CW the top spot among 18-34 viewers for the evening--averaging a 2.6/7 and besting usual leader Fox, which earned a 2.2/6 for the night.

CBS' best came from a repeat of "Two and a Half Men," which grabbed a 3.0/7 among 18-49 viewers. NBC's "Deal or No Deal" was its best program of the night, with a 2.0/5. ABC came in a bit under that showing--hosting three hours of the theatrical movie "Batman Begins," landing at an average 1.9/5. Still, the movie increased nicely through the evening, reaching a 2.2/5 in the 10 p.m. hour.

Among 18-49 viewers for the night, CBS and Fox were at a 2.2/6; ABC earned a 1.9/5; CW and Univision came in at 1.8/5; and NBC finished at 1.7/4.