The bright spots were few and far between on another quiet college football Saturday, but ABC managed to score a pair of increases for its ACC-heavy schedule.
Miami-Louisville averaged a 2.1 rating and 3.80 million viewers on ABC’s Saturday Night Football over the weekend, down 9% in ratings but up 5% in viewership from last year (Clemson-Syracuse: 2.3, 3.62M) but down 50% and 48% respectively from 2018 (Ohio State-TCU: 4.2, 7.239M).
The Hurricanes’ win was the highest rated non-NFL sporting event of the weekend and ranked a close second in viewership — narrowly trailing the competing Celtics-Heat NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 on ESPN (3.81M).
It was one of three college football games to increase on Saturday, joining ABC’s preceding UCF-Georgia Tech game and Tulsa-Oklahoma State on ESPN. UCF-Georgia Tech increased 1% in ratings (to 1.75) and 14% in viewership (to 3.06M). Tulsa-Oklahoma State scored a 1% viewership bump (to 1.73M) despite a 6% drop in ratings (to 1.05).
All other college football windows declined, no surprise in the third week of a season of limited Power 5 play and unprecedented competition from the NBA and NHL playoffs.
Navy’s comeback win over Tulane opened ABC’s tripleheader with a 0.9 and 1.35 million, down 57% in ratings and 58% in viewership from last year (Pitt-Penn State: 2.1, 3.20M) and down 59% and 60% respectively from 2018 (Oklahoma-Iowa State: 2.2, 3.35M).
CBS averaged a 0.7 and 1.25 million for Appalachian State-Marshall — which replaced its originally scheduled BYU-Army game — down 77% and 75% respectively from Alabama-South Carolina SEC action last year (3.0, 4.95M).
Notre Dame’s matchup with South Florida averaged a 0.5 and 957,000 on USA Network, the team’s least-watched home game since a 2017 matchup against Miami of Ohio on NBCSN (798K).
Only two other games cracked the 500,000 viewer mark, both on ESPN — Troy-Middle Tennessee Saturday afternoon (642K, -40%) and Campbell-Coastal Carolina Friday night (509K, -63%).
ESPN’s College Gameday started the day off with just 950,000 (-43%).
The full list of 2020 college football ratings is available here.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 9.22]
