In an offshoot of the “Coach Prime” effect, Colorado’s Travis Hunter won the Heisman before the event’s largest TV audience in five years. Plus: the NCAA volleyball national semifinals and regionals set new records; the NBA on TNT had a rough night opposite the NFL; and more.
Heisman hits high; Celebration Bowl up big
Last Saturday’s Heisman Trophy Presentation, won by Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter, averaged a 1.3 rating and 2.52 million viewers on ESPN — the largest audience for the awards show in five years (2019: 2.54M). Peaking at 3.1 million in the 8:45 PM ET quarter-hour, viewership increased 9% from last year.
The Heisman led into the Salute to Veterans Bowl (the Camellia Bowl) between South Alabama and Western Michigan at 1.2 million, actually down 20% from last year, when the game aired two days before Christmas (Northern Illinois-Arkansas State: 1.6M).
In other postseason action, the Jackson State-South Carolina State Celebration Bowl averaged 2.1 million on ABC (+37%), leading into a Mercer-North Dakota State FCS quarterfinal at 1.4 million (+32%). The three FCS quarterfinal games on ABC and ESPN averaged 1.0 million.
Shifting to the workweek, the Memphis-West Virginia Frisco Bowl averaged 1.2 million — up 21% from UTSA-Marshall a year ago (988K).
NCAA women’s volleyball semis, regionals, set records
Thursday’s NCAA women’s volleyball national semifinals averaged 1.1 million viewers on ESPN, up 4% from last year and a new record.
Nebraska-Penn State averaged a semifinal-record 1.2 million, up from 1.1 million for Texas-Wisconsin last year and the third-largest audience on record for a college volleyball match — behind last year’s national championship and an NFL-adjacent regional window on FOX earlier that same season.
Louisville-Pittsburgh led in with 1.0 million, actually down from 1.1 million for Nebraska-Pittsburgh a year ago.
The record results for the national semifinals followed similar results for last weekend’s regional semifinals and finals. The four regional finals averaged a record 594,000 viewers — up 90% from last year — led by Nebraska-Wisconsin at 798,000 on ABC. The eight regional semifinals averaged a record 311,000 on ESPN2, up 101% from last year and led by Nebraska-Dayton at 617,000.
Rough night for NBA on TNT opposite NFL
Thursday’s Thunder-Magic NBA regular season game averaged 562,000 viewers across TNT and truTV, marking the least-watched NBA game on TNT or ESPN/ABC this season. Knicks-Timberwolves followed with a a 0.41 rating and 722,000, the second-least watched.
Outside of Opening Week, it was the network’s first Thursday doubleheader during the NFL season since 2019.
Plus: Golf “Showdown,” NHL, NCAA men’s soccer
— Tuesday’s golf event between Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler of the PGA Tour and Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka of LIV Golf averaged a combined 0.35 rating and 625,000 viewers across TNT and TBS (plus additional viewership on truTV, figures for which were not immediately available). Viewership easily outpaced the most recent edition of the TNT exhibition series “The Match.”
— Wednesday’s Flyers-Red Wings NHL regular season game averaged 418,000 viewers across TNT and truTV, up 36% from Islanders-Capitals on TNT alone last year (307K). Panthers-Wild followed with 161,000, off 12% from last year’s Kraken-Kings nightcap (182K). The full doubleheader averaged 285,000, up 15%.
— Monday’s Vermont-Marshall NCAA men’s soccer national championship averaged 174,000 viewers on ESPN2, up 122% from last year, when the event aired on ESPNU (Clemson-Notre Dame: 79K), and behind only the COVID-delayed spring 2021 edition as the most-watched since 2010.
