Far from capitalizing on pent-up demand for college football, FCS Kickoff ratings hit a ratings low on a crowded Saturday night.
Saturday’s Austin Peay-Central Arkansas FCS Kickoff, the first college football game of the season, averaged a 0.33 rating and 501,000 viewers on ESPN — marking the lowest rated and least-watched FCS Kickoff ever (dates back to 2014). The previous lows were a 0.35 and 564,000 for North Carolina A&T-Jacksonville State two years ago.
Ratings and viewership fell 30% from Youngstown State-Samford last year (0.47, 718K). Keep in mind last year’s game aired in a mid-afternoon window and led into a much-hyped matchup between Miami and Florida.
This year’s game faced unusually stiff competition for the last Saturday of August, airing opposite a NASCAR race at Daytona (2.4, 3.87M), an NBA playoff game involving LeBron James (Blazers-Lakers: 1.8, 2.92M) and a Stanley Cup playoff game on NBCSN (Flyers-Islanders: 0.51, 848K).
The game averaged a lower rating and fewer viewers than its UFC lead-in, which scored a 0.37 and 564,000. It did top ESPN’s weekend lineup of high school football games, which topped out at a 0.23 and 358,000 for Trinity Christian-Knoxville Catholic earlier in the day.
The FCS Kickoff has never been a particularly strong draw, with viewership topping out at 981,000 for North Dakota State-Montana in 2015. Expectations would seem to have been higher for this year’s game, given the lack of major conference games until late September at the earliest.
FCS Kickoff ratings, viewership, all-time
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 9.1]
