The third edition of the College Football Playoff put up good numbers by most standards, but still came nowhere close to the event’s blockbuster debut.
Saturday’s Alabama/Washington Peach Bowl, part of the College Football Playoff, had a combined 10.7 final rating and 19.3 million viewers on ESPN and ESPN2 — up 18% in ratings and 23% in viewership from Clemson/Oklahoma in last year’s Orange Bowl (9.1, 15.7M) but down 27% and 31% respectively from Oregon/Florida State in the 2015 Rose Bowl, which aired on ESPN alone (14.8, 28.2M).
As should be no surprise, it was the highest rated and most-watched Peach Bowl since the game began airing on ESPN in 1992. The game had not previously held any national title implications. Last year’s Houston/FSU Peach Bowl, which was not part of the playoff, had a 3.7 and 5.6 million.
Later in the night, Clemson/Ohio State had a 9.8 and 19.2 million in the Fiesta Bowl — up 2% in ratings and 3% in viewership from Alabama/Michigan State in last year’s Cotton Bowl (9.6, 18.6M) and down 36% and 32% respectively from Ohio State/Alabama in the 2015 Sugar Bowl, which aired on ESPN alone (15.2, 28.3M).
It was the highest rated Fiesta Bowl since Texas/Ohio State on FOX in 2009 (10.4) and the most-watched since Ohio State/Notre Dame on ABC in 2006 (20.6M). Last year’s Ohio State/Notre Dame Fiesta Bowl, which was not part of the playoff, had a 5.6 and 9.8 million.
Figures do not include streaming viewership on the WatchESPN app, 470,000 for Alabama/Washington and 410,000 for Clemson/Ohio State. With those numbers added to the mix, the former had 19.8 million viewers and the latter 19.6 million. Streaming viewership actually outpaced two years ago, when Oregon/FSU had 116,000 and Ohio State/Alabama had 256,000 — though that is primarily attributable to the growth of streaming over time.
Ratings for this year’s playoff games were closely watched after last year’s steep declines. That the numbers bounced back was primarily the result of earlier start times and the fact that New Year’s Eve was on a weekend rather than a workday. Neither game came close to the playoff’s 2015 debut, when the semifinals delivered the two largest audiences in cable television history (supplanted days later by the national championship game). By that standard, this year’s numbers were less than impressive.
Yet it bears noting that the 2015 numbers were inflated by some difficult-to-replicate factors, not the least of which was the novelty and anticipation surrounding the first ever playoff. Combined with the high-profile of the four participating teams and the New Year’s Day date, the initial playoff set a bar that may not be surpassed anytime soon. It may be the case that 2015 was a one-off ratings-wise, and next year’s semis — which return to New Year’s Day — should provide some clarity.
Both semifinals easily topped last year’s NCAA Final Four, which delivered some of its worst numbers in recent memory on Turner Sports. Villanova/Oklahoma had a 6.1 and 10.5 million viewers in the early window and North Carolina/Syracuse had a 7.3 and 12.9 million in the late window.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 1/4, with additional info from ESPN)
