Monday Night Football may not have been successful on the field for the Redskins but they were a winner on TV.
Ratings provided to me this morning by ESPN showed that 19.7 rating on ESPN and an 8.2 rating on WDCA, for a combined 27.9 rating. That is certainly in line with other primetime Redskins broadcasts over the past two years and certainly does not show any significant fall off for the team. (Philly pulled a 30.4 rating but they are always among the top sports cities in the country in sports ratings)
There is no doubt that rating’s for the remainder of the season after this week’s bye will be looked at and poured over to see how badly the Redskins brand is being damaged.
CSN continues to post strong numbers for all things Redskins and the brand – while slipping slightly – is still far and away the number one sports brand in Washington.
But fans do have a way of getting angry and punishing ownership. Talk on sports talk radio is one thing but tuning the Redskins out on the airwaves and at the box office remains the biggest punishment they can deal the club. The question is will they really do it for the long term or can those who have left the fold be convinced to come back? That is the biggest unknown for 2009 and beyond…
