ESPN college football ratings were up across the board in week seven.
Last Saturday’s Arkansas-Alabama college football game had a 2.2 rating and 3.9 million viewers on ESPN, up 54% in ratings and 52% in viewership from Mississippi-Arkansas last year and the weekend’s top game on cable. ESPN’s Nielsen ratings now include streaming viewership; all comparisons are to last year’s TV+streaming numbers unless otherwise noted.
Alabama has now topped the cable charts in three consecutive weeks. An SEC team has played in cable’s top game in each of the past six weeks.
Earlier in the day, Oklahoma-Texas delivered a 2.1 and 3.6 million in the Red River Rivalry — up 250% in ratings and 277% in viewership from Wake Forest-Florida State in the same window last year.
Compared to previous editions of the Red River Rivalry, this year’s game increased 24% in ratings and 30% in viewership over last year on FS1 (1.7, 2.8M**) but trailed the 2015 game on ABC by 36% and 28% respectively (3.3, 5.0M**).
It was the second-smallest audience for the game, excluding years when it aired as part of a regional window, since at least 1998.
Bookending ESPN’s Saturday coverage, South Carolina-Tennessee had a 1.7 (+42%) and 2.5 million (+43%) in the Noon ET window and Washington-Arizona State a 1.4 (+56%) and 2.3 million (+74%) in late night.
Shifting to weeknight action, last Friday’s Clemson-Syracuse stunner had a 1.7 and 2.9 million — up 52% in viewership from Duke-Louisville last year. The Washington State-Cal nightcap had a 1.4 (+40%) and 2.3 million (+53%).
As for the other ESPN networks, ESPN2 and ESPNU both hit season-highs last Saturday, the former scoring a 1.2 and 2.1 million for Texas A&M-Florida (+365%) and the latter 875,000 (+174%) for Texas Tech-West Virginia.
** TV only audience.
[Wknd. numbers from ESPN, ShowBuzz Daily 10.17]
