A high noon triple-overtime shootout earned record numbers for ESPN last week.
Michigan’s 67-65 win over Illinois drew a 2.9 U.S. rating and 4.326 million viewers on ESPN last Saturday afternoon, up 38% in ratings and 40% in viewership from last year (NWU/IOWA: 2.1, 3.099 mil), and up 61% and 70%, respectively, from 2008 (WISC/MSU: 1.8, 2.540 mil).
Illinois/Michigan ranks as the second-most viewed Noon ET college football game ever on ESPN, behind only Michigan/Wisconsin in 2007 (4.402 mil). The previous second-place holder was Arkansas/Georgia earlier this year (4.251 mil).
The game does rank as the most-viewed Noon ET game on ESPN in households, edging the ’07 Michigan/Wisconsin game.
Saturday’s Noon ET telecast drew the best college football numbers of the day on ESPN/ESPN2, even topping ESPN’s Saturday night Arkansas/South Carolina game (2.3, 3.965 mil). The game also outdrew ABC’s Saturday Night Football (2.7, 4.285 mil).
(ESPN, Sports Business Daily)
