Despite trailing ABC, FOX and ESPN Saturday night, the Miami/Notre Dame game on NBC had a massive increase over last year.
Saturday’s Miami/Notre Dame college football game drew a 2.2 final rating and 3.680 million viewers on NBC — up 100% in ratings and 132% in viewership from the network’s third Notre Dame telecast last season, against Air Force (1.1, 1.587M), and up 22% and 39%, respectively, from the third Notre Dame telecast in 2010, against Stanford (1.8, 2.641M).
Keep in mind the comparable games last year and in 2010 both aired in the afternoon.
Miami/Notre Dame ranks as the second-most viewed primetime Notre Dame telecast on NBC (six telecasts). Only Michigan/Notre Dame last month (6.384M) drew more viewers.
Saturday’s game was outdrawn head-to-head by ABC’s “Saturday Night Football” (3.1, 5.161M), West Virginia/Texas on FOX (2.9, 4.555M), and Georgia/South Carolina on ESPN (2.3, 4.015M). The only college football game on a major network to earn a smaller audience Saturday night was Florida State/N.C. State on ESPN2 (0.8, 1.266M).
(Saturday’s numbers from Sports Business Daily, with additional information from Son of the Bronx)
