While the Outback Bowl experienced a surge in viewership with a move from ESPN to ABC, the Capital One Bowl suffered massive declines following its move from ABC to ESPN.
Last Saturday’s Alabama/Michigan State Capital One Bowl earned a 3.7 U.S. rating and 6.045 million viewers on ESPN, down 46% in ratings and 48% in viewership from last year (PSU/LSU: 6.8, 11.631 mil), and down 42% and 44%, respectively, from 2009 (UGA/MSU: 6.4, 10.839 mil).
Alabama’s blowout win ranks as the lowest rated Capital One Bowl since at least 1995 (ratings prior to 1996 were not available) and the least-viewed since at least 2000 (viewership prior to 2001 was not available).
The 3.7 rating is well below the previous sixteen-year ratings low of 5.2, set in 2006.
Saturday’s game was trounced head-to-head by the Outback Bowl on ABC (UF/PSU: 7.1, 12.445 mil), which had increases of over 100% from the previous year’s game on ESPN.
Prior to this year, the Capital One Bowl was routinely the highest rated of the non-BCS bowls, even topping the Orange Bowl in 2008 and 2010. This year’s game not only trailed the Outback Bowl, but the Chick-Fil-A and Music City Bowls as well.
(Ratings/viewership from Sports Business Daily)
