ESPN got off to a slower start for the 2014 college football season.
Saturday’s Wisconsin/LSU college football game drew a 2.8 U.S. rating and 4.7 million viewers on ESPN, up 47% in ratings and 48% in viewership from LSU/TCU last year (1.9, 3.2M) and up 33% and 31%, respectively, from Clemson/Auburn in 2012 (2.1, 3.6M). LSU’s victory was the third-most watched college football telecast of week one, trailing only ABC’s doubleheader.
It was also the only game on ESPN during week one to have an increase in ratings or viewership over last year.
Clemson/Georgia drew a 2.3 and 4.0 million earlier in the evening, down 23% in ratings and 24% in viewership from Alabama/Virginia Tech last year (3.0, 5.2M) but up 28% and 43%, respectively, from Bowling Green/Florida in an earlier timeslot two years ago (1.9, 2.8M).
In the first game of ESPN’s tripleheader, UCLA/Virginia drew a 1.9 and 2.9 million viewers — down 30% in ratings and 31% in viewership from Rice/Texas A&M in a later timeslot last year (2.7, 4.2M) and down 21% and 17%, respectively, from Ohio/Penn State in 2012 (2.4, 3.5M).
Shifting to weeknight action, the Labor Day Miami/Louisville game drew a 2.3 and 3.6 million viewers — down 21% in ratings and 19% in viewership from Florida State/Pittsburgh last year (2.9, 4.5M), down 4% and 12%, respectively, from Georgia Tech/Virginia Tech in 2012 (2.4, 4.1M), and the lowest rated primetime game on the holiday since TCU/Tulane in 2003 (1.5).
Last Friday’s BYU/UConn game drew a 0.7 and 1.1 million, down 46% in ratings and 49% in viewership from Texas Tech/SMU last year (1.3, 2.1M) and down 74% in both measures from Boise State/Michigan State in 2012 (2.7, 4.2M). The UNLV/Arizona nightcap had a 0.7 and 955,000 viewers; there was no comparable game last year.
Rounding out the week one action, the opening night game between Boise State and Mississippi drew a previously reported 2.4 million viewers, down 23% from last year.
(Week 1 finals from Sports Business Daily, Awful Announcing)
