For the second straight week, ESPN drew an impressive audience for Thursday night college football.
Oregon’s win against rival Oregon St. drew a 3.6/6 U.S. rating and 5.7 million viewers on ESPN Thursday night, off from last week’s Texas/Texas A&M game (3.7/8, 6.7 mil). Numbers for last year’s comparable game (Louisville/Rutgers) were unavailable.
Despite the week-to-week decline, Oregon St./Oregon ranks as the #2 Thursday night game of the season, trailing only the aforementioned Texas/Texas A&M game.
Additionally, the game easily topped Jets/Bills on NFL Network in ratings and viewership, the second straight week that ESPN’s Thursday night college football game had beaten the NFL head-to-head.
Oregon St./Oregon even beat the NFL in the adults 18-49 demographic (1.9 to 1.3), a reversal from last week.
Ratings/viewership for Thursday night college football games on ESPN
| Date | Game | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., 9/3/09 | S. Carolina/N.C. State | ESPN |
2.1
|
3,263
|
| Oregon/Boise St. | ESPN |
2.5
|
3,855
|
|
| Thu., 9/10/09 | Clemson/Georgia Tech | ESPN |
1.7
|
2,643
|
| Thu., 9/17/09 | Georgia Tech/Miami | ESPN |
2.9
|
4,390
|
| Thu., 9/24/09 | Mississippi/S. Carolina | ESPN |
3.1
|
4,717
|
| Thu., 10/1/09 | Colorado/West Virginia | ESPN |
2.2
|
3,218
|
| Thu., 10/8/09 | Nebraska/Missouri | ESPN |
2.4
|
3,798
|
| Thu., 10/15/09 | Cincinnati/South Florida | ESPN |
2.1
|
3,058
|
| Thu., 10/22/09 | Florida St./North Carolina | ESPN |
2.0
|
2,973
|
| Thu., 10/29/09 | North Carolina/Va. Tech | ESPN |
1.5
|
2,259
|
| Thu., 11/5/09 | Va. Tech/ECU | ESPN |
1.6
|
2,336
|
| Thu., 11/12/09 | South Florida/Rutgers | ESPN |
n/a
|
n/a
|
| Thu., 11/19/09 | Colorado/Oklahoma St. | ESPN |
1.5
|
2,151
|
| Thu., 11/26/09 | Texas/Texas A&M | ESPN |
3.7
|
6,692
|
| Thu., 12/3/09 | Oregon St./Oregon | ESPN |
3.6
|
5,727
|
