ESPN had double-digit declines for both games of a primetime college football doubleheader Saturday night.
Saturday’s Texas A&M/Arkansas college football game drew a 1.9 final rating and 3.1 million viewers on ESPN, down 10% in ratings and viewership from Mississippi State/LSU last year (2.1, 3.5M) and down 14% and 18%, respectively, from Auburn/LSU in 2013 (2.2, 3.8M). The Aggies’ overtime win was still Saturday’s top primetime game, topping Utah/Oregon on FOX (1.8, 3.0M) and UCLA/Arizona on ABC (1.6, 2.4M).
The USC/Arizona State nightcap had a 1.4 and 2.1 million, down 30% in ratings and 33% in viewership from Oregon/Washington State last year (2.0, 3.2M). There was no comparable game in 2013.
ESPN had better luck earlier in the day, as LSU/Syracuse drew 3.2 million in the Noon ET window — up 2% from Georgia Tech/Virginia Teceh last year (3.1M), up 38% from North Carolina/Georgia Tech in 2013 (2.3M), and the top game of the weekend on cable. Oklahoma State/Texas drew 2.4 million later in the afternoon, up 47% from Virginia/BYU last year (1.6M) and up 48% from Arkansas/Rutgers in 2013 (1.6M).
The network also posted gains for Friday’s Boise State/Virginia game, which drew 1.8 million viewers — up 29% from Connecticut/South Florida last year (1.4M) and down 17% from Boise State/Fresno State in 2013 (2.1M).
Elsewhere on the ESPN family of networks, ESPN2’s top game of the weekend was Mississippi State/Auburn with a 1.2 and 2.2 million viewers — up 20% in ratings and 19% in viewership from Miami/Nebraska last year (1.0, 1.8M) but down 38% and 22%, respectively, from Colorado State/Alabama in 2013 (1.6, 2.8M).
ESPNEWS turned in 594,000 for Southern Miss/Nebraska, up 267% from Western Illinois/Northwestern last year (162K), up 241% from Vanderbilt/UMass in 2013 (174K) and its largest audience ever for a full college football telecast. Finally, ESPNU’s top audience was 499,000 for Vanderbilt/Mississippi — down 2% from Northern Illinois/Arkansas last year (510K) and down 38% from SMU/Texas A&M in 2013 (809K).
(Wknd. numbers via Sports TV Ratings, TV Media Insights, ShowBuzz Daily)
