Like the St. Petersburg Bowl a day before, the Military Bowl earned its largest audience ever on ESPN.
The Virginia Tech/Cincinnati Military Bowl drew a 1.8 final rating and 2.9 million viewers on ESPN Saturday afternoon, up 6% in ratings and 13% in viewership from Marshall/Maryland last year (1.7, 2.6M) and up 38% and 53%, respectively, from San Jose State/Bowling Green in 2012 (1.3, 1.9M).
The Hokies’ win ranks as the most-watched Military Bowl ever, topping the previous mark set by the inaugural 2008 game between between Wake Forest and Navy (2.92M to 2.88M).
The Military Bowl was one of three in a 24-hour span to earn a record audience. The St. Petersburg Bowl, which also debuted in 2008, set a viewership record on Friday night (3.3M). The Heart of Dallas Bowl set a record earlier Friday with 2.3 million.
(Sat. numbers via Bloomberg/ShowBuzz Daily)
