The Big Ten fueled big increases in ESPN’s college football ratings last weekend.
Last Saturday’s Iowa-Penn State college football game earned a 2.0 rating and 3.27 million viewers on ESPN, up 186% in ratings and 192% in viewership from last year (MSU-Northwestern: 0.7, 1.12M) but down 9% and 11% respectively from 2016 (Northwestern-Ohio State: 2.2, 3.66M).
Penn State’s win delivered the largest Big Ten audience of the season on cable, and the sixth-largest regardless of conference.
The strong performance came despite formidable competition from the Georgia-Florida game on CBS (3.9, 6.35M).
Earlier in the day, Purdue-Michigan State drew a 1.5 and 2.38 million — up 25% in ratings and 23% in viewership from last year (Wisconsin-Illinois: 1.2, 1.93M) but down 48% and 49% respectively from Michigan-Michigan State in ’16 (2.9, 4.65M).
ESPN also scored a big increase in primetime, with Texas A&M-Mississippi State scoring a 1.3 (+44%) and 2.18 million (+33%).
The day’s lone dud was the Oregon-Arizona nightcap, with had a 0.7 (-13%) and 1.19 million (-14%). College Gameday also declined, down 2% (from 1.81M to 1.77M).
On Friday, Miami-Boston College drew a 0.8 and 1.36 million — down a tick in ratings and 3% in viewership from FSU-Boston College last year (0.9, 1.40M). Utah-UCLA had a 0.47 and 701,000.
Elsewhere on the ESPN family of networks, Texas Tech-Iowa State was ESPN2’s top week nine game with a 0.6 and 885,000, though that was down 39% and 38% respectively from last year (Miami-UNC: 0.9, 1.42M). Figures for ESPNU were largely unavailable, but last Thursday’s Appalachian State-Georgia Southern game had 105,000 (-19%).
The full list of week nine college football ratings is available here.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 10.30]
