• Loading stock data...
Thursday, November 14, 2024

Coach Prime’s Colorado Changing College Football Viewing Habits

  • Buffaloes have appeared in four of the top seven most-watched college football games.
  • Total college football viewing is up 14% this season, according to Fox Sports.
Coach Prime bringing improved tv ratings.
The Register Guard

The Deion Sanders wave continues to lift all boats in college football—particularly those of TV networks.

Despite the lopsided score, ABC’s telecast of Colorado’s 42-6 loss to Oregon on Saturday averaged 10.03 million viewers, according to Sports Media Watch.

That made it the largest Nielsen-measured college football audience of the season. 

According to ABC, the telecast peaked at 12.6 million viewers and marked the broadcast network’s second-best regular season game in the last five years.

But NBC Sports uses different measurement metrics than ABC. According to the Peacock network, its telecast of Ohio State’s 17-14 win over Notre Dame was the most-watched of the season. 

The game averaged 10.5 million viewers, according to NBC, peaking at 14.2 million viewers.

NBC said it was the most-watched regular season on any network since 2018, excluding the Labor Day holiday weekend. And most-watched on the network since the “Game of the Century” between Notre Dame and Florida State in 1993.

Colorado Blowout Loss Slows Down Coach Prime Frenzy

Blowout loss to Oregon drops Buffaloes out of the Top 25
September 24, 2023

No matter how you slice it, they were the two most-watched games of the season. Coach Prime’s Buffaloes have appeared in four of the Top 7 most-watched games this season, noted Sports Media Watch. Last year, their highest-rated game ranked 162nd.

The interest around Sanders and his resurgent program draws casual viewers who may not have previously consumed many college football broadcasts.

Black TV households have also shown a surge of interest in Sanders’ Colorado, dubbed “Black America’s Team.”

Excluding rivalry week, Flora Kelly, ESPN’s vice president of research, tweeted that Saturday marked the most-watched regular season Saturday in college football history. She estimated that nearly 12 billion minutes were consumed across all rated networks.

Deion Sanders and The Rock

Deion Sanders Reshaping College Football Fanbase With Buffaloes Surge

Deion Sanders has made Colorado “Black America’s Team.”
September 21, 2023

Through Week 4, total college football viewing was up 14% across all networks, added Michael Mulvihill, president of Insights and Analytics for Fox Sports. 

Over 20 million people watched college football on primetime on Saturday night, Mulvihill tweeted.

“A rare instance of more people watching football on Saturday night than Sunday night,” he wrote.

It will be interesting to see if Colorado’s blowout loss to Oregon will pop the program’s media ballon before arguably the team’s biggest game against USC on Saturday.

Despite the one-sided score, Kelly said viewers stayed with Colorado vs. Oregon on Saturday, with the audience holding above 7.6 million during the telecast’s final quarter-hour between 6:45 pm and 7 pm.

Fox Sports will televise this Saturday’s Buffaloes vs. Trojans in its signature noon window. The network is sending its “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show and Skip Bayless’ “Undisputed Live” on location to Boulder for the matchup.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NFL TV Ratings Up Big on Major Networks, but There’s a Caveat

This NFL season has been marked by new media trends.

Caitlin Clark Draws Huge Early-Morning Crowds at LPGA Event

Golf Channel aired Clark’s 18th hole live, after moving up its studio show.

Louisiana Gov. Calls Critics of Tiger Stunt ‘Woke’ After LSU Blowout Loss

He called the live cat the “only tiger who showed up Saturday.”

SMU’s Nine-Figure ACC Move Is Paying Off in Year 1

SMU paid its way into the ACC and is seeing immediate benefits.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

Will Drew Brees Return to Broadcasting?

0:00

Featured Today

Former President Donald Trump waves to the crowd as he exits the putting green with his aide Walt Nauta, left, during the final round of the LIV Golf Bedminster golf tournament at Trump National Bedminster on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023.
opinion

Trump Win Puts Sports Back in the White House

With Trump back in the White House, sports get more political again.
Members of the NY Giants run onto the field to start the game between the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.
November 8, 2024

The NFL Is Becoming the League With No Borders

Where will the NFL go next? International expansion will only get bigger.
November 5, 2024

NFL Center Connor McGovern Is the Heir to a Potato Empire

The NFL vet’s family provides potatoes for McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and others.
Vanderbilt Commodores fans head to the south end zone as the goal post is taken down by exuberant fans after beating No. 1 Alabama 40-35 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.
opinion
November 2, 2024

Something New in College Football This Year: Parity

Upsets, surprises. CFB is more fun on the field than the NFL.

MLB Withdraws Objection, Clearing DSG’s Path Out of Bankruptcy

The swift reversal will likely aid confirmation of the RSN operator’s reorganization plan.
November 12, 2024

NBA’s Declining Viewership Gets Steph Curry Bump

Last Wednesday’s Warriors-Celtics game averaged 2.14 million viewers.
November 13, 2024

DSG Introduces NBA, NHL Single-Game Streaming Despite Bankruptcy

The regional sports network operator introduces single-game view options for its NBA and NHL teams.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
November 12, 2024

Chiefs-Bills Clash Could Set Ratings High, and CBS Is Going Big

CBS is set to broadcast “The NFL Today” on-site from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.
November 12, 2024

Netflix NFL Christmas Doubleheader Will Be Tracked by Nielsen

The move aligns with how Amazon measures “Thursday Night Football” audiences.
November 11, 2024

DSG’s Future Hangs on Bankruptcy Hearing As MLB Objects to Plan

The bankrupt regional sports network operator will learn whether it will again become a viable company.
November 11, 2024

Tennis Channel Suspends Journalist Jon Wertheim After Hot Mic Comments About Player’s..

He said the comments were “inadvertently” broadcast.