The Heisman Trophy Presentation hit a new peak on Saturday.
The annual presentation of the award for best quarterback player in college football drew 4.3 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most viewed Heisman Trophy Presentation since the network began airing the event. The 4.3 million viewers is a 45% increase over the 2.9 million viewers who tuned into last year’s Heisman presentation.
The event, which saw Florida Gators’ QB Tim Tebow become the first sophomore to win the award, drew a 3.1 cable rating — tied with the 2002 edition as the highest Heisman Trophy rating ever on ESPN.
The Heisman Trophy Presentation was not the only winner for ESPN during the college football season. College Gameday had its most viewed season ever, with 1.7 million households tuning in each week. The November 24 edition of the show was its most viewed ever, as 2 million households tuned in to watch the pregame hype for that night’s Missouri/Kansas showdown.
Meanwhile, ESPN2 had its most viewed season ever. The network averaged 1 million households per game, up 5% from last season.
