Ratings: Bowls, CBB, PGA, NBA

Saturday’s Armed Forces Bowl (Tulane-Southern Miss) averaged a 1.2 rating and 1.74 million viewers on ESPN, marking the least-watched edition of the game since the 2013-14 season (Navy-Middle Tennessee: 1.65M).

Ratings fell a quarter and viewership a third from last season (Army-Houston: 1.6, 2.58M) and 43% and 50% respectively from two years ago (Army-San Diego State: 2.1, 3.49M). This year’s 11:30 AM ET start was earlier than usual.

In other action, Friday’s Idaho Potato Bowl (Nevada-Ohio) averaged a 0.9 (flat) and 1.36 million (-1%) — the least-watched edition of that game since the 2016-17 season (Idaho-Colorado State: 1.14M).

Monday’s Mobile Bowl (Louisiana-Miami of Ohio) averaged 1.45 million (-15%), its smallest audience since the 2014-15 season (Toledo-Arkansas State: 1.37M).

Airing immediately after an NFL playoff game, Saturday’s St. John’s-Xavier college basketball game averaged a 1.4 rating and 2.30 million viewers on FOX — the network’s largest college basketball audience on record. The previous high was 2.0 million for Duke-St. John’s in January 2015, Mike Krzyzewski’s 1,000th career victory.

In the same post-NFL window last season, CBS drew a 1.9 and 2.99 million for Indiana-Michigan.

Earlier Sunday, CBS drew a 0.7 and 1.06 million for Michigan-Michigan State. There was no comparable window last year, when CBS carried an NFL playoff game.

On Saturday, ESPN drew a 0.51 and 841,000 for Duke-Miami following NFL playoff coverage — down 32% in ratings and 33% in viewership from Clemson-Duke in the same window last year (0.75, 1.26M). Earlier in the day, FOX drew a 0.7 (-22%) and 1.01 million (-32%) for Indiana-Maryland and CBS a 0.65 (+3%) and 929,000 (-2%) for Georgia-Memphis.

Last Sunday’s final round of the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions averaged a 0.39 rating and 634,000 viewers on Golf Channel, marking the tournament’s largest cable audience since the 2016 final round (797K). Ratings increased 18% and viewership 25% from last year (0.33, 508K).

Third round coverage the previous day averaged a 0.7 and 975,000 on NBC, down a tick in ratings and 14% in viewership from last year (0.8, 1.13M). NBC did not air any coverage two years ago.

ESPN averaged a 1.1 rating and 1.66 million viewers for Pelicans-Lakers and a 1.0 and 1.58 million for Sixers-Rockets on NBA Friday last week. Viewership for the doubleheader increased 17% from the same Friday night last year, which was one week later in the season. ESPN did not carry games during the comparable week of last season.