College football ratings mostly declined in the first week of limited power five action, Notre Dame a notable exception.
Saturday’s Duke-Notre Dame college football game averaged a 2.4 rating and 4.32 million viewers on NBC, the team’s second-most watched home opener since 2006 (vs. Penn State: 6.90M). Their primetime home opener against Michigan two years ago averaged 7.09 million.
Ratings jumped 140% and viewership 189% from Notre Dame’s home opener last season against New Mexico (1.0, 1.50M). The game averaged 4.37 million including streaming.
Notre Dame’s win delivered the largest college football audience of the young season, though that comes with the obvious caveat that there have been hardly any games involving prominent teams thus far.
It ranked first for the weekend among non-NFL sportscasts, topping that night’s Rockets-Lakers NBA playoff game on ESPN (3.72M). The NBA game won out in the key young adult demographics.
In other college football action, ABC averaged a 2.0 and 3.46 million for Clemson-Wake Forest on the season premiere of Saturday Night Football — down 60% in ratings and viewership from a considerably higher-profile LSU-Texas game last year (5.0, 8.65M). Versus the same weekend of 2018, ratings were flat and viewership increased 5% from Penn State-Pittsburgh (2.0, 3.29M).
Clemson’s win had to contend with the previously-mentioned Rockets-Lakers game, eking out a head-to-head win in ratings (2.0 to 1.9) but coming up short in viewership. Again, the NBA game easily won in the young adult demos.
ABC also averaged a 2.0 and 3.52 million for abbreviated coverage of Georgia Tech-FSU, down 50% and 46% respectively from Texas A&M-Clemson last year (4.0, 6.48M). The game was delayed due to inclement weather and moved to ESPN2, averaging a 0.6 and 1.21 million for the conclusion.
Over on FOX, Arkansas State’s upset of Kansas State averaged a 1.1 and 1.79 million in the premiere of Big Noon Saturday — down 64% in ratings and 62% in viewership from Army-Michigan on the same weekend last year (3.1, 4.72M). Ratings and viewership also fell 39% and 38% respectively from UCLA-Oklahoma in 2018 (1.8, 2.90M).
In the same Noon window on ESPN, Louisiana’s upset of Iowa State averaged a 1.0 and 1.68 million — up 25% and 31% respectively from last year (Syracuse-Maryland: 0.8, 1.28M). It joins Duke-Notre Dame as the season’s only windows to increase over last year.
ESPN2 topped out at a 0.31 and 516,000 for Tulane-South Alabama Saturday night, down 31% and 32% respectively from Tulane-Auburn in a similar window last year (0.45, 516K). FS1’s top draw was Eastern Kentucky-West Virginia at a 0.20 (-38%) and 408,000 (-25%).
College Gameday averaged 1.08 million in its road show season debut, down 42% from the same weekend last year (1.88M). That does not include the ESPNU simulcast.
The full list of college football ratings so far this season is available here.
Notre Dame home opener viewership
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 9.16]
