A pair of top ten matchups, one featuring Heisman-contending quarterbacks, delivered strong numbers for ABC.
Louisville/Clemson had a 5.5 final rating and 9.3 million viewers on ABC’s Saturday Night Football last weekend, up 17% in ratings and 22% in viewership from Notre Dame/Clemson last year (4.7, 7.6M) and up 112% and 129%, respectively, from Notre Dame/Syracuse in 2014 (2.6, 4.1M).
The Tigers’ win ranks second in ratings and viewership among college football games this season, behind only Notre Dame/Texas on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, also on ABC (6.4, 10.9M). Excluding conference championship games, it also earned the highest rating and viewership for ABC’s Saturday Night Football since Notre Dame/Florida State nearly two years earlier (7.9, 13.3M).
Figures do not include the streaming audience of 200,000 on WatchESPN. With those viewers added to the mix, the combined TV and streaming audience for the game was 9.5 million — up 23% from a combined 7.7 million for Notre Dame/Clemson last year.
Earlier in the day, Wisconsin/Michigan had a 4.3 and 6.9 million — flat in ratings but down 6% in viewership from last year (4.3, 7.3M) but up 23% and 25%, respectively, from 2014, both of which were regional windows. Last year’s telecast featured then-#1 Ohio State edging Indiana.
The Wolverines’ win delivered the third-highest rating and viewership for an afternoon game this season behind only LSU/Wisconsin on ABC in week one (4.6, 7.8M) and Alabama/Mississippi on CBS in week three (5.0, 8.2M). Including viewership on WatchESPN, the game had 7.0 million.
Texas/Oklahoma State rounded out ABC’s tripleheader with a 2.4 and 3.8 million viewers, up a third in ratings and 37% in viewership from TCU’s rout of Texas last year (1.8, 2.7M). With streaming viewership included it had 3.9 million.
(Wknd. numbers from ShowBuzz Daily 10/4, ESPN)
