Ratings and viewership inched up for college football’s national championship.
Monday’s LSU-Clemson College Football Playoff National Championship averaged a 14.3 rating and 25.59 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS, up 4% in ratings and 1% in viewership from last year (Clemson-Alabama: 13.8, 25.28M) but down 8% and 10% respectively from 2018 (Alabama-Georgia: 15.6, 28.44M).
LSU’s win, which peaked with 29.20 million viewers from 9:45-10 PM ET, ranks 15th out of the 22 national championship games since the formation of the Bowl Championship Series. It was the first of seven title games involving LSU or Clemson to increase over the previous year.
The primary ESPN telecast averaged a 13.9 and 25.00 million viewers, up 5% in ratings and 3% in viewership from last year (13.2, 24.32M) but down 7% and 9% respectively from 2018 (14.95, 27.38M). Viewership sank for Megacast coverage on ESPN2 (381K, -43%) and ESPNU (74K, -62%). Figures for ESPNEWS were not available.
The National Championship ranks as the most-watched non-NFL sporting event since last year’s National Championship, topping even Game 7 of the World Series last October (Nationals-Astros: 23.22M).
The full three-game College Football Playoff averaged 21.65 million viewers across the ESPN family of networks — up 4% from last year, but down 18% from two years ago, when the semifinals were played on New Year’s Day (26.27M).
Viewership for the complete New Year’s Six bowl slate declined 4% from last year, per the Associated Press. While the three playoff games increased, each of the four non-playoff games declined.
New Orleans led all markets Monday with a 48.9 rating. Despite Alabama’s absence from the title game, Birmingham ranked second at a 42.7. Greenville, N.C. (33.9), Knoxville, Tenn. (26.5) and Columbus, Ohio (26.4) rounded out the top five. Top ten market Atlanta ranked just outside the top five with a 24.3.
In adults 18-49, LSU-Clemson averaged a combined 7.7 rating across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU — down a tick from last year on the same three networks (7.8). That includes a 7.5 on ESPN alone (-1%).
[Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 1.14, ShowBuzz Daily 1.14, ESPN PR 1.14, ESPN, AP 1.14, ESPN PR 1.17]
