ABC earned one of its lowest ever overnights for Saturday Night Football.
Regional college football action featuring Illinois/Ohio State in 78% of markets drew a 2.1 overnight rating on ABC Saturday night, down 61% from Miami/Florida State last year (5.4) but up 11% from Oklahoma/Kansas State in 2012 (1.9). The 2.1 is the third-lowest for ABC’s Saturday Night Football (106 telecasts dating back to 2006), ahead of only the 2012 game and Notre Dame/Pittsburgh last year (1.9).
The Buckeyes won Saturday’s featured game by 41 points. The undercard, Oklahoma State/Kansas State in 22% of markets, was also a blowout.
Head-to-head, Saturday Night Football was topped by Notre Dame/Navy on CBS (2.4) and Auburn/Mississippi on ESPN (3.8). It outdrew the Stanford/Oregon game on FOX (1.7).
Earlier Saturday, regional action featuring TCU/West Virginia in 77% of markets drew a 2.6 overnight — down 21% from Michigan/Michigan State last year (3.3) and even with regional coverage in 2012 (2.6). Though TCU/West Virginia was the site of ESPN’s College Gameday, it was beaten head-to-head by Florida/Georgia on CBS (4.0).
(Sat. overnights from Sports Business Daily)
