In its ESPN debut, the Fiesta Bowl earned the second-lowest rating ever for a BCS bowl.
Saturday’s Connecticut/Oklahoma game earned a 6.2 U.S. rating and 10.819 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen fast-nationals, down 24% in ratings and 22% in viewership from last year (BOISE/TCU: 8.2, 13.820 mil), and down 40% and 37%, respectively, from 2008 (TEX/OSU: 10.4, 17.056 mil).
The 6.2 rating is the second-lowest ever for a BCS bowl, ahead of only the 2009 Orange Bowl (VT/CIN: 5.4, FOX). This is only the third time a BCS bowl has drawn less than 7% of U.S. television households.
Additionally, this marks the lowest rated edition of the Fiesta Bowl since the 1997-98 season (KST/SYR: 5.8). Overall, the game is tied as the third-lowest rated Fiesta Bowl of the last twenty-five years.
The Fiesta Bowl was the top program of the night on broadcast or cable, easily outdrawing the NHL Winter Classic on NBC (WSH/PIT: 2.3, 4.5 mil).
Oklahoma’s win earned a 35.1 in Oklahoma City and an 18.4 in Hartford. The Fiesta Bowl drew barely better numbers in Hartford than the Florida State/Connecticut women’s basketball game on ESPN2 December 21 (18.1), in which the Huskies won their 89th straight game.
(ESPN)
