It had seemed like a good pre-season matchup since the Falcons had played in the previous season's Super Bowl and the 49ers coming into the 1999 season had posted 16 consecutive 10-win seasons. Teams thought to be postseason contenders during the off-season could be out of playoff contention by the middle of the season a prime example occurred in 1999, when the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons both entered the season's final MNF game with 4–11 records. Since the MNF schedule is set in April and cannot be changed, the league and network cannot guarantee a late season matchup will have any significance or be highly anticipated. Since no one knows during the first month of the season if a team is indeed good, or will rebound from a difficult start, interest is usually high for the first few weeks of the MNF season.
Monday night games early in the season are often highly anticipated since records are new, teams usually are showcasing fresh talent and potential, and storylines coming into the season are often played out as fans try to see if these hyped teams are up to form.
Starting in 2006, when the series moved to cable, two games are played on the opening Monday night to capitalize on fan interest during " NFL Kickoff Weekend". From 2003 to 2005, one game was played on Thursday and another Monday under the Monday Night Football banner. To avoid any scheduling unfairness where, just before the first playoff game, a team may have five days off and others six, there is no Monday night game during the final week of the regular season. See also: National Football League on television § Flexible scheduling Also included with the new deal are the rights to two Super Bowls in 20, the introduction of flexible scheduling, and two additional doubleheaders during the season, with one Sunday morning game on ESPN+. A new deal signed in 2021 sees ESPN retain these rights through 2033. The new deal, valued around US$15 billion, also gives ESPN rights to expanded highlights, international, and streaming rights. In 2011, ESPN extended its contract for the show for an additional eight seasons, giving it rights to the broadcasts until 2021. Per an NFL broadcasting policy intended to allow those who do not subscribe to cable or satellite television to see games televised by a pay television network, the games are also made available on over-the-air television stations in each participating team's local market. and on ESPN International in Latin America, while a Portuguese version airs on ESPN Brasil. A Spanish-language version airs on ESPN Deportes in the U.S.
The telecasts are also seen in most of Australia on ESPN Australia, in Portugal on SportTV 3 and SportTV HD and on TV 2 Sport in Denmark, and in some other regions of the world outside the U.S. On September 7, 2013, the NFL announced that British Eurosport would show Monday Night Football games live in the United Kingdom for the 20 seasons. Monday Night Football is also broadcast in Canada on TSN and RDS, and in most of Europe. MNF is preceded on air by Monday Night Countdown. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest-running prime time programs ever on commercial network television, and one of the highest-rated, particularly among male viewers.
From 1970 to 2005 and since 2020 - albeit on a limited basis - it aired on sister broadcast network ABC.
Butcher Brown (2020-present)ĮSPN Studios, South Street Seaport, New York City (studio segments) ĮSPN Monday Night Football (abbreviated as MNF and also known as ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC for simulcasts) is a live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games on ESPN and ESPN+ (circa 2022 season) in the United States.
" Heavy Action" by Johnny Pearson (1976–1988 2011–2016) (used as secondary theme from 1989–2011 and again from 2017–present) " All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night" by Hank Williams, Jr.