Ratings and viewership increased for both games of Saturday’s college football doubleheader on ABC, with Ohio State/Iowa up by over a third.
Ohio State’s close victory over Iowa earned a 4.2 final rating and 6.559 million viewers on ABC Saturday afternoon, up 40% in ratings and 43% in viewership from last year (PSU/MSU*: 3.0, 4.602 mil), and up 36% and 38%, respectively, from 2008 (UNC/MD*: 3.1, 4.730 mil).
The game, which aired nationally, ranks as the second-highest rated, second-most viewed afternoon college football telecast of the season on ABC. Only coverage featuring Texas/Oklahoma in October (4.4, 6.996 mil) drew better numbers.
Meanwhile, Saturday Night Football bounced back from two weeks of below par numbers.
Regional college football action featuring Nebraska/Texas A&M in 53% of TV markets drew a 4.0 final rating and 6.454 million viewers on ABC, up 5% in ratings and 6% in viewership from last year (ORE/AZ*: 3.8, 6.094 mil), and up 38% in both compared to 2008 (BC/FSU*: 2.9, 4.681 mil).
The telecast was a marked improvement from the previous two weeks, in which Saturday Night Football failed to draw even a 3.0 rating.
Ratings/Viewership For College Football on ABC During 2010 Season
| Date | Time | Game(s) | % of U.S. | Net | Rating | vs. ’09 | Viewers (000) | vs. ’09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., 9/4/10 | 3:30 PM | Connecticut/Michigan | 48% | ABC |
2.7
|
-23%
|
4,224
|
-25%
|
| UCLA/Kansas State | 34% | |||||||
| Kentucky/Louisville | 18% | |||||||
| 8 PM | #21 LSU/#18 UNC | — | ABC |
2.7
|
-36%
|
4,302
|
-39%
|
|
| Sat., 9/11/10 | 3:30 PM | #17 FSU/#10 OU | 92% | ABC |
2.4
|
-54%
|
3,838
|
-54%
|
| Iowa State/#9 Iowa | 8% | |||||||
| Sat., 9/18/10 | 3:30 PM | #8 Nebraska/Wash. | 51% | ABC |
2.6
|
-16%
|
4,159
|
-13%
|
| #1 Alabama/Duke | 28% | |||||||
| ASU/Wisconsin | 21% | |||||||
| 8 PM | #6 Texas/TTU | 54% | ABC |
4.7
|
15%
|
7,528
|
13%
|
|
| Notre Dame/MSU | 46% | |||||||
| Sat., 9/25/10 | 3:30 PM | UCLA/#7 Texas | 66% | ABC |
2.5
|
-36%
|
3,787
|
-38%
|
| Wake Forest/FSU | 20% | |||||||
| EMU/#2 Ohio State | 14% | |||||||
| 8 PM | #24 ORE ST/#3 BSU | — | ABC |
3.4
|
-15%
|
5,587
|
-13%
|
|
| Sat., 10/2/10 | 3:30 PM | #21 Texas/#8 OU | 62% | ABC |
4.4
|
69%
|
6,996
|
82%
|
| #11 WISC/#24 MSU | 24% | |||||||
| VT/#23 NC State | 14% | |||||||
| 8 PM | #9 Stan./#4 Ore. | 53% | ABC |
3.0
|
-38%
|
4,866
|
-38%
|
|
| Notre Dame/BC | 47% | |||||||
| Sat., 10/9/10 | 3:30 PM | #17 MSU/#18 Mich. | 63% | ABC |
3.5
|
-17%
|
5,502
|
-14%
|
| #11 Ark./Texas A&M | 23% | |||||||
| Clemson/UNC | 14% | |||||||
| 8 PM | #23 FSU/#13 Miami | 79% | ABC |
3.1
|
11%
|
5,053
|
10%
|
|
| USC/#16 Stanford | 21% | |||||||
| Sat., 10/16/10 | 3:30 PM | Texas/#5 Nebraska | 79% | ABC |
3.6
|
13%
|
5,670
|
n/a
|
| #15 Iowa/Michigan | 21% | |||||||
| Sat., 10/23/10 | 3:30 PM | #13 WIS/#15 Iowa | 65% | ABC |
3.7
|
-18%
|
6,072
|
-16%
|
| #16 NEB/#14 OKST | 20% | |||||||
| Ga. Tech/Clemson | 15% | |||||||
| 8 PM | #1 OU/#11 MIZZ | — | ABC |
4.3
|
27%
|
7,064
|
26%
|
|
| Sat., 10/30/10 | 3:30 PM | #5 MSU/#18 Iowa | 77% | ABC |
3.3
|
3%
|
5,154
|
8%
|
| #6 Mizz/#14 Neb. | 21% | |||||||
| 8 PM | #2 Oregon/USC | 79% | ABC |
4.7
|
12%
|
7,645
|
12%
|
|
| #11 Ohio St./Minn. | 21% | |||||||
| Sat., 11/7/10 | 3:30 PM | Wash./#1 Oregon | 40% | ABC |
3.5
|
-5%
|
5,469
|
-7%
|
| Northwestern/PSU | 26% | |||||||
| UNC/FSU | 21% | |||||||
| Nebraska/Iowa St. | 13% | |||||||
| 8 PM | #15 AZ/#13 STAN | 82% | ABC |
2.7
|
-25%
|
4,285
|
-29%
|
|
| #12 Missouri/TTU | 18% | |||||||
| Sat., 11/14/10 | 3:30 PM | Penn St./#9 Ohio St. | 69% | ABC |
4.0
|
-7%
|
6,364
|
-6%
|
| TTU/#16 Oklahoma | 16% | |||||||
| #20 Va. Tech/UNC | 15% | |||||||
| 8 PM | #10 OKST/Texas | 61% | ABC |
2.9
|
-22%
|
4,651
|
-22%
|
|
| Clemson/FSU | 20% | |||||||
| USC/Arizona | 19% | |||||||
| Sat., 11/21/10 | 3:30 PM | #9 OH ST/#20 Iowa | — | ABC |
4.2
|
40%
|
6,559
|
43%
|
| 8 PM | #8 NEB/#19 TX A&M | 53% | ABC |
4.0
|
5%
|
6,454
|
6%
|
|
| #25 FSU/Maryland | 28% | |||||||
| USC/Oregon St. | 19% |
(Ratings from ESPN)
