Nearly twice as many viewers tuned in Connecticut’s streak-ending loss to Stanford than the team’s record 89th straight victory over a week earlier.
ESPN2 drew a 1.3 U.S. rating and 2.111 million viewers for Connecticut/Stanford on December 30, the Huskies’ first loss in 90 games. The end of Connecticut’s streak easily outdrew their record 89th straight victory nine days earlier by 63% and 80%, respectively (FSU/CONN: 0.8, 1.171 mil).
Connecticut/Stanford topped several men’s basketball games that night, walloping its Temple/Villanova lead-in by 382% (482,000), and even surpassing both Knicks/Magic (1.2, 1.742 mil) and Spurs/Mavericks (1.1, 1.743 mil) on TNT.
The game also drew more viewers than ESPN’s Armed Forces Bowl (ARMY/SMU: 1.898 mil), though it finished well behind the network’s three other bowl games that day.
