No longer one of the New Year’s Day bowls, the Gator Bowl had a modest drop in viewership on ESPN.
The Tennessee/Iowa Gator Bowl drew a 2.6 final rating and 4.1 million viewers on ESPN Friday afternoon, flat in ratings and down 9% in viewership from Nebraska/Georgia on ESPN2 last year (2.6, 4.5M) but up 86% and 84%, respectively, from Northwestern/Mississippi State on ESPN2 in 2012 (1.4, 2.2M).
The Volunteers’ win ranks as the second-most watched Gator Bowl since it moved to cable in 2011 (five telecasts). Overall, however, it ranks as the fifth-least watched since at least 2001.
This year’s game marked the first time since the 1994-95 season that the Gator Bowl was not part of the New Year’s Day slate, and as a result it did not face any competition. Last year’s game, by comparison, aired opposite the Capital One, Outback and Heart of Dallas Bowls.
(Fri. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
