Ratings: CFB on FOX, ACC/Big Ten Challenge, NHL

FOX has averaged 3.32 million viewers for college football games this season, up 3% from the same point last year (3.22M) and the network’s highest average ever entering conference championship weekend. That average includes 13.2 million viewers for Michigan-Ohio State last Saturday, a FOX record (excluding bowls).

In other action last weekend, FOX drew a 2.3 and 4.08 million for Washington-Washington State on Black Friday — up 10% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year’s comparable window (Texas Tech-Texas: 2.1, 3.61M), and the most-watched Apple Cup since it moved to FOX in 2012.

FOX also scored a 2.1 and 3.66 million for Nebraska-Iowa earlier Friday; a 1.8 (+50%) and 3.04 million (+51%) for Rutgers-Michigan State Saturday afternoon; and a 1.0 (-23%) and 1.62 million (-32%) for Oklahoma State-TCU.

FS1 topped out at 1.19 million for Texas-Kansas Friday afternoon (+151%).

Duke-Indiana scored a 1.0 rating and 1.59 million viewers in college basketball’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge Tuesday night, up 43% in ratings and 35% in viewership from Purdue-Louisville in an earlier window last year (0.7, 1.18M).

Compared to the same Indiana-Duke matchup in last year’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which took place on a Wednesday night, ratings dropped a tick (from 1.1) and viewership 6% (from 1.70M).

On Wednesday, North Carolina-Michigan had 1.56 million (-8%).

Blues-Red Wings scored 293,000 viewers on NBCSN’s NHL Wednesday Night Hockey last night, down 31% from last year (Lightning-Bruins: 424K) and down 30% from 2016 (Penguins-Islanders: 417K). The Penguins-Avalanche nightcap had 281,000, up 15% from Sharks-Kings in the same window two years ago (244K). There was no comparable late game last year.