'Monday Night Football' hits likely record-low rating opposite debate

Record viewers were drawn to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as they faced off in the first of three presidential debate on Monday night, which contributed to the potentially the lowest ratings in the 47-year history of Monday Night Football.

The Atlanta Falcons’ 45-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints drew in a 5.7 overnight rating, according to figures released by ESPN on Tuesday. The lowest reported overnight rating for a Monday Night Football game was a 5.8 for the Denver Broncos-San Diego Chargers game on Christmas Eve 2007. That game also holds the lowest final rating (5.1).

The final rating are adjusted after more information is gathered. Monday's final ratings are expected to be released Tuesday afternoon.

The debate was only one of a handful of factors that resulted in the low rating for the contest.

The game featured two teams that missed the playoffs a season ago, and it quickly became one-sided as the Falcons coasted to a win.

With neither team representing one of the biggest television markets (Atlanta is in the ninth-largest market and New Orleans is 51st, per Nielsen’s rankings), ESPN had a lot working against it.

ABC broadcast the first 36 years of Monday Night Football before the show switched to cable on ESPN.

ESPN reported an a 1% uptick in streaming (209,000 viewers via ESPN and ESPN Deportes streams) from the same time last year.

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