The first night of the college football season delivered good numbers on ESPN and Fox Sports 1.
The North Carolina/South Carolina college football game drew a 2.1 overnight rating on ESPN Thursday night, down 16% from the same matchup in the same timeslot two years ago (2.5). There was no comparable early game last year.
Despite the drop, the Gamecocks’ win tied the fifth-highest overnight on record for an opening Thursday game on ESPN. South Carolina has played in four of the top five.
The TCU/Minnesota nightcap drew a 1.9 overnight, up 27% from Boise State/Mississippi last year (1.5).
Both games faced tougher competition from Fox Sports 1, which drew a 2.1 overnight for Michigan/Utah. Overnights were not immediately available for last year’s Rutgers/Washington State game, but it had a mere 0.3 final rating.
(Thu. overnights from ESPN Media Zone, twitter.com/austinkarp)
