NCAA Week 2: Final Ratings Low For Notre Dame Home Opener

Posted by | 09/14/2012 at 4:02 pm

NBC’s Notre Dame coverage got off to a less-than-impressive start last weekend.

Saturday’s Purdue/Notre Dame college football game drew a 1.9 final rating and 2.8 million viewers on NBC, according to Sports Business Daily — down 10% in ratings and 14% in viewership from South Florida/Notre Dame last year (2.1, 3.249M), and down 14% and 15%, respectively, from Purdue/Notre Dame in 2010 (2.2, 3.289M).

The 1.9 rating is the second-lowest for a Notre Dame home opener on NBC since at least 1998 (ratings prior to 1999 were not available). Only Nevada/Notre Dame in 2009 (1.3) earned a lower rating.

Purdue/Notre Dame was the lowest rated college football game on broadcast over the weekend, even trailing Penn State/Virginia in an earlier timeslot on ABC (2.0).

Final Ratings/Viewership For Notre Dame Home Opener
Past decade

Year Date Notre Dame Opponent Net Rating Viewers (000)
2012 Sat., 9/8/12 Purdue
NBC
1.9
2,800
2011 Sat., 9/3/11 South Florida
NBC
2.1
3,249
2010 Sat., 9/4/10 Purdue
NBC
2.2
3,289
2009 Sat., 9/5/09 Nevada
NBC
1.3
1,886
2008 Sat., 9/6/08 San Diego State
NBC
2.3
3,319
2007 Sat., 9/1/07 Georgia Tech
NBC
2.4
3,389
2006 Sat., 9/9/06 Penn State
NBC
4.7
6,902
2005 Sat., 9/17/05 Michigan State
NBC
3.8
5,471
2004 Sat., 9/11/04 Michigan
NBC
4.0
5,677
2003 Sat., 9/6/03 Washington State
NBC
3.1
4,395
2002 Sat., 9/7/02 Purdue
NBC
2.7
3,475

(Saturday’s numbers from Sports Business Daily)

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