A record audience tuned into this year’s St. Petersburg Bowl.
The N.C. State/UCF St. Petersburg Bowl drew a 2.0 final rating and 3.3 million viewers on ESPN Friday night, up 122% in ratings and 157% in viewership from ECU/Ohio last year (0.9, 1.3M) and up 54% and 71%, respectively, from UCF/Ball State in 2012 (1.3, 1.9M). Keep in mind last year’s game aired on a Monday afternoon.
The Wolfpack’s win ranks as the most-watched St. Petersburg Bowl ever (dates back to 2008), topping the previous mark of 3.0 million set by Louisville/Southern Miss in 2010. The 2.0 rating tied 2010 as the highest in the game’s history.
The record performance ended a three-year streak of declines for the St. Petersburg Bowl, which shed nearly two million viewers from 2010 to 2013.
(Fri. numbers from Bloomberg/ShowBuzz Daily)
