Dec 7, 2007 8:00 am US/Eastern
Patriots-Ravens Draws Largest Cable Audience Ever
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, the New England Patriots are good TV and the nation is tuning in.
The Patriots dramatic comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night attracted the largest audience ever for a cable program.
The game on ESPN averaged more than 12.5 million homes and 17.5 million viewers.
The previous highs for a cable broadcast were 11.8 million households for last year's Giants-Cowboys "Monday Night Football" game and 17.2 million viewers for Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2" movie in August.
This isn't the first TV record the Patriots have set this season.
New England 's game earlier this season against the then-undefeated Indianapolis Colts generated the highest television ratings for a regular season NFL broadcast on any network ever.
According to CBS, who broadcast the game, it drew a rating of 22.5 and a 39 share. The NFL only started keep ratings data in 1987.
The previous high was set in 1996 for regular season match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.
The Patriots will look to keep their perfect season alive when they host the 9-3 Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
