It was the lone game on ESPN to have a decline, but Michigan and Minnesota delivered the network’s top college football audience of the week.
Last Saturday’s Michigan/Minnesota college football game drew a 2.2 final rating and 3.7 million viewers on ESPN, down 27% in ratings and 26% in viewership from Mississippi/LSU last year (3.0, 5.0M). Compared to UCLA/Oregon in 2013, ratings dropped a tick (2.3 to 2.2) but viewership rose a fraction of a percent (3.67M to 3.68M).
The Wolverines’ win was the top college football telecast of the week on cable, but the ESPN’s only game to have a decline (five telecasts that could be compared to last year).
The Stanford/Washington State nightcap drew a 1.5 and 2.3 million, up 36% in ratings and 31% in viewership from Arizona State/Washington last year (1.1, 1.8M) and flat and up 3%, respectively, from Stanford/Oregon State in 2013 (1.5, 2.2M).
Earlier in the day, ESPN drew 3.5 million for the Mississippi/Auburn in the Noon ET window — up 14% from Texas/Kansas State last year (3.1M) and up 11% from Nebraska/Minnesota in 2013 (3.1M). Mississippi’s win ranks as the most-watched Noon ET game on cable this season. Oklahoma State/Texas Tech drew 2.5 million later in the afternoon, up 42% from West Virginia/Oklahoma State last year (1.8M) and up 8% from Clemson/Maryland in 2013 (2.3M).
In other action last week, ESPN drew a 1.1 and 1.5 million for the triple-overtime Oregon/Arizona State game; there was no comparable window last year or in 2013.
ESPN2 topped out at just 939,000 viewers for the Noon ET Illinois/Penn State game, down 17% from Rutgers/Nebraska last year (1.1M) but up 55% from Louisville/USF in 2013 (605K). ESPNU’s top game also in the Noon ET window, as Nebraska/Purdue drew 849,000 — up 34% from Minnesota/Illinois last year (633K) and down 4% from Wake Forest/Miami in 2013 (885K).
(Wknd. numbers via TV Media Insights [1], [2], ShowBuzz Daily)
