ABC had a rough performance for its college football tripleheader last weekend.
Oklahoma/West Virginia had a 2.3 final rating and 3.8 million viewers on ABC’s Saturday Night Football last weekend, down a tick in ratings and 1% in viewership from TCU/Oklahoma last year (2.4, 3.9M) and down 57% and 56%, respectively, from Florida State/Miami in 2014 (5.4, 8.7M).
The Sooners’ win ranks as the second-lowest rated and third-least watched primetime game on ABC this season (13 telecasts).
Even so, it was the weekend’s top college football game on a broadcast network and ranked third overall — trailing Ohio State/Michigan State (3.7, 5.8M) and Indiana/Michigan (2.9, 4.8M), both of which aired on sister network ESPN.
Earlier in the day, ABC earned a 1.7 and 2.6 million for regional action — down 74% in ratings and 77% in viewership from Michigan State/Ohio State last year, which was the network’s top game of the season (6.6, 11.1M), and down 29% and 36%, respectively, from Nebraska/Wisconsin in 2014 (2.4, 4.0M).
Wisconsin/Purdue started things off with a 1.3 and 1.9 million, down 67% in ratings and 70% in viewership from Michigan/Penn State last year (3.9, 6.1M) and down 65% and 68%, respectively, from Ohio State/Minnesota in ’14 (3.7, 5.7M).
In addition to the steep year-over-year declines, the Badgers’ win was the lowest rated and least-watched game of the season on ABC.
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily 11/23)
