Epic College Football Playoff Semifinals Give ESPN Ratings Boost

Two of the best semifinal games in the modern College Football Playoff era generated big viewership numbers for Disney’s ESPN. 

The network’s Saturday coverage of Georgia-Ohio State in the Peach Bowl and TCU-Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl averaged 21.7 million viewers. 

That’s up 28% over last season – and the best in five years, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals.

The two games ranked as the most-watched non-New Year’s Day semifinals ever. They were the third most-watched since the CFP era kicked off in 2014. 

More on ESPN’s big College Football Playoff TV numbers: 

• Defending national champion Georgia’s 42-41 comeback victory over Ohio State averaged 22.1 million viewers, peaking at 23.9 million between 9:45 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET. The thriller ranked as the most-watched primetime semifinal since the first year of the CFP – and fourth-best ever. It was also the top non-NFL sporting event on a single broadcast or cable network since the 2022 CFP National Championship.
• Earlier in the day, TCU’s 51-45 upset win over Michigan averaged 21.4 million viewers, peaking at 26.4 million from 7:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. It was the third most-watched afternoon semifinal of the CFP era – and sixth best ever.
• Both games ranked among the Top 5 non-NFL telecasts since the start of 2022. Across all streaming platforms, ESPN totaled 336 million minutes, up 36% from last year.