One of the biggest college football games of the season delivered strong numbers for ABC.
Saturday’s Notre Dame/Florida State game drew a 7.9 final rating and 13.3 million viewers on ABC, up 132% in ratings and 133% in viewership from FSU/Clemson last year (3.4, 5.7M) and up 155% and 174%, respectively, from regional action featuring FSU/Miami in 2012 (3.1, 4.8M).
FSU’s close win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched non-bowl game on the ESPN family of networks since Notre Dame/USC in November 2012 (9.6, 16.1M).
Keep in mind that does not account for games on other networks. Over the same two-year span, CBS twice drew a higher rating and more viewers — an 8.2 and 13.9 million for Alabama/Auburn last November and an 8.5 and 13.6 million for Alabama/Texas A&M last September, both in the afternoon. Including conference championships, the past two SEC title games on CBS and last year’s Big Ten Championship on FOX also earned larger audiences.
Overall, Saturday’s game earned the third-largest audience ever for ABC’s Saturday Night Football (dates back to 2006). Only Notre Dame/USC in 2012 and Notre Dame/USC in 2006 (14.7M) attracted more viewers. The 7.9 rating is the fourth-highest, trailing the two Notre Dame/USC games and Ohio State/Texas in 2006 (8.2).
ESPN/ABC has now aired the eight most-watched Notre Dame games since 2005, when NBC drew a 6.7 and 10.0 million for another game featuring USC.
(Sat. numbers from ESPN Media Zone)
