For the second straight year, ESPN had its most-viewed college football season in over a decade.
College football coverage averaged a 1.9 U.S. rating and 2.966 million viewers on ESPN during the 2010 season (75 telecasts), even in ratings and up 3% in viewership from last year (1.9, 2.874 mil, 71 telecasts), and up 12% and 16%, respectively, from 2008 (1.7, 2.561 mil, 69 telecasts).
This marks the most-viewed college football season on ESPN since 1994 in both households and total viewers.
ESPN ended its regular season college football coverage with a pair of games last Saturday. The network’s Noon ET Pittsburgh/Cincinnati game drew a 1.7 U.S. rating and 2.336 million viewers, while the primetime ACC Championship Game drew a 1.8 and 3.047 million.
ESPN hit a few milestones during the 2010 season. Boise State/Virginia Tech on Labor Day (6.3, 9.888 mil) drew the second-largest audience ever for a college football game on the network.
Meanwhile, Arizona/Oregon on Black Friday drew ESPN’s best Thursday or Friday night college football audience. Finally, Michigan/Illinois on November 6 and Arkansas/Georgia on September 18 drew the net’s second and third largest Noon ET college football audiences.
(Ratings from ESPN; pifeedback.com)
