Airing on broadcast for the first time in two decades, the Independence Bowl had a surge in ratings and viewership.
The South Carolina/Miami Independence Bowl drew a 2.5 final rating and 4.1 million viewers on ABC December 27, up 79% in ratings and 100% in viewership from Arizona/Boston College on ESPN last year (1.4, 2.1M) and up 92% and 136%, respectively, from Ohio/UL-Monroe on ESPN in 2012 (1.3, 1.7M).
The Gamecocks’ win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched Independence Bowl since at least 2006. The previous high over that span was a 2.0 and 3.3 million for Georgia/Texas A&M on ESPN2 in 2009.
Keep in mind this year’s game was the first Independence Bowl to air on a broadcast network since 1991.
(12/28 numbers via Nielsen)
