The move of the Red River rivalry to Fox Sports 1 was good for the network and not so good for the game.
The Texas/Oklahoma Red River Showdown earned a 2.0 overnight rating on Fox Sports 1 Saturday afternoon, down 47% from last year’s edition (3.8) and down 39% from 2014 (3.3), both on ABC. The 2.0 is the lowest for the annual rivalry game since at least 2000, with 3.3 the previous low.
The Sooners’ win was topped head-to-head by Notre Dame/N.C. State on ABC, which had a 2.0 overnight. It trailed at least two games on ESPN, which pulled a 2.4 for Alabama/Arkansas in primetime and a 2.3 for Ohio State/Indiana in the afternoon (other ESPN overnights were not available).
Though low by Texas/Oklahoma standards, Saturday’s game was a strong performer for Fox Sports 1. A complete record of the network’s overnights this season was not available, but no previous game on the network this season has had a 1.0 final rating.
Overnights for Saturday’s Washington/Oregon game on FOX were not immediately available.
