or


[09/05/24 - 09:45 AM]
ESPN Platforms Deliver Largest Kickoff Week Audience Since 2016 - ESPN and ABC Score Top 6 Games Across All Networks
ESPN's Nielsen-rated networks airing college football - ABC, ESPN and ESPNU - averaged 3.1 million viewers in Week 1, up 44 percent over 2023 and the largest audience for Kickoff Week across ESPN platforms since 2016.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN Platforms Deliver Largest Kickoff Week Audience Since 2016 - ESPN and ABC Score Top 6 Games Across All Networks

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, ESPN+ Also Deliver Record Viewership

The official kickoff to the college football season did not disappoint, as millions tuned in across ESPN platforms to see major upsets, last-second thrillers and dominant performances from some of the country's top teams. ESPN's Nielsen-rated networks airing college football - ABC, ESPN and ESPNU - averaged 3.1 million viewers in Week 1, up 44 percent over 2023 and the largest audience for Kickoff Week across ESPN platforms since 2016.

Both ABC and ESPN were up double digits over 2023. ABC scored its most-watched Kickoff Week since 2016 and the second best on record, finishing up 83 percent year-over-year. Meanwhile, ESPN was up 23 percent for Week 1 over the 2023 edition. Saturday, Aug. 31st was the most-viewed day of college football ever on ESPN+, and Week 1 included the top 3 regular season college football games ever on the platform.

ESPN platforms scored the top six games across all networks in Week 1, hitting multi-year viewership highs in key windows. Additionally, this is the first time since Week 1 in 2016 that ESPN platforms have had six games in one weekend all surpass 4.0 million viewers.

Week 1's Top Performers:

1. USC vs. LSU | 9.2 million viewers on ABC

· ABC's third best Sunday Opener on record and ABC's most-streamed college football game on record

· The Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic - an ESPN Events kickoff game - also broke the Allegiant Stadium attendance record with 63,969 fans cheering on the Trojans and the Tigers

2. Notre Dame at Texas A&M | 8.2 million viewers on ABC

· Most-viewed ABC Saturday Night Football matchup in two seasons

3. Clemson vs. Georgia | 8.0 million viewers on ABC

· Most-watched Week 1 noon game on record

4. Miami at Florida | 6.7 million viewers on ABC

· Largest Week 1 late afternoon audience since 2017, as the new SEC on ABC franchise made its debut

5. North Dakota State at Colorado | 4.8 million viewers on ESPN

· ESPN's most-watched Thursday opener since 2017

6. Boston College at Florida State | 4.4 million viewers on ESPN

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot delivered one of its most-watched regular season episodes in the 37-year history of the show. 2.5 million viewers watched as the sport's premier pregame show made its stateside season debut in College Station, with 3.2 million viewers tuning in for the final hour. Week 1 from Aggieland is the most-watched episode to air outside of Thanksgiving Weekend and was the most-watched regular season episode since November 2016. The audience was up 47 percent year-over-year and demolished the previous Week 1 audience record by double digits.

ESPN's social media team created more than 1,200 pieces of content across all platforms, registering 58 million engagements - up 68 percent year-over-year - and scored 554 million video views for Week 1. The team's viral video featuring new teammates Nick Saban and Pat McAfee is College GameDay's most-viewed TikTok ever with 24 million views and climbing, and boasts a total of 50 million views across all ESPN platforms.

-30-





  [september 2024]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· SATURDAY NIGHT COLLEGE FOOTBALL (ABC)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[03/04/26 - 04:36 PM]
"American Idol" Leads Monday Night - Powering ABC to Another Victory in Both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
The show's strong performance lifted ABC to a Monday night win across broadcast and cable in both Total Viewers (4.32 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.36 rating).
[03/04/26 - 09:29 AM]
ABC Continues Multiplatform Success With Midseason Lineup
Season to date, ABC continues to dominate the competitive cross-platform landscape among broadcast series based in viewing over seven days on ABC, Hulu, Disney+ and digital platforms.
[03/03/26 - 03:30 PM]
ABC's Beloved Comedy "Scrubs" Returns with Over 11 Million Total Audience to Date
On linear over three days, "Scrubs" was the top comedy telecast among Adults 18-49 (0.74 rating) on any network (excluding post-NFL telecasts) in over a year.
[03/03/26 - 03:00 PM]
"Marshals" Premiere on CBS Is the Most-Watched New Scripted Debut Without a Football Lead-In Since 2018, with 9.5 Million Viewers
"Marshals," "Tracker" and "60 Minutes" are the top three series on television for the week.
[03/03/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of February 23 - "Bridgerton" Season 4 Lives Happily Ever After at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Coming in at No. 2 on the English TV list is Season 3 of "The Night Agent" with 9.9 million views.
[03/02/26 - 03:10 PM]
"Sheriff Country" Midseason Premiere Scores Its Most-Watched Episode and Is the #1 Show of the Night
5.30 million viewers on average tuned into the show's return on Friday.
[02/27/26 - 03:00 PM]
"Survivor 50" Premiere Wins the Night Posting CBS' Most-Watched Wednesday Since 2022
Said premiere averaged 5.06 million viewers, peaking with 6.18 million.
[02/26/26 - 02:19 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars to Season High with Best Audience in Over a Year
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 157 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
[02/25/26 - 05:44 PM]
ABC Wins Monday Night as "American Idol" Dominates with Best Audience Since Season Premiere
In fact, "American Idol" scored its largest margin of victory ever in Total Viewers over "The Voice" during its nine-season run on ABC.

[02/25/26 - 03:35 PM]
"20/20: The Au Pair, The Affair and Murder" About a Twisted Love Triangle Delivers Best Adult 25-54 Performance in 10 Months and Strongest Delivery in Adults 18-49 in 11 Months
Hitting new season highs for the second straight week, "20/20" improved on the previous week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
[02/25/26 - 02:46 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 Broadcast Network for Coverage of the State of the Union, Beating NBC by 1.4 Million and CBS by 1.7 Million
Said coverage ranked No. 1 among the broadcast networks in all key target demos: Total Viewers (4.912 million), Adults 25-54 (1.125 million) and Adults 18-49 (886,000).
[02/24/26 - 01:48 PM]
Nearly 21 Million Viewers Watched NBCUniversal's Coverage of USA-Canada Olympic Men's Gold Medal Hockey Game, Peaking at 26 Million for Game-Winning Goal on NBC & Peacock
The USA-Canada gold-medal game delivered an average live audience of 18.6 million viewers on NBC and Peacock (8:15-11 a.m. ET).
[02/24/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of Feb. 16 - "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" Sashays to No. 1 in Top 10
Plus: Season 3 of "The Night Agent" took No. 2 on the English TV list with 8.4 million views.

[02/23/26 - 03:55 PM]
NBCUniversal's Presentation of Milan Cortina Olympics Dominates Media Landscape & Delivers Largest Winter Games Audience Since 2014
Sunday's Closing Ceremony provided a spectacular culmination as more than 215 million Americans (215.6 million through February 17) tuned in across NBCUniversal's platforms for "Legendary February."
[02/23/26 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Series Post Strong Fall Viewership, Topping Broadcast and Streaming Rankings in Live + 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
The CBS fall lineup scored eight of the top 10 most-watched series among broadcast competition and nine of the top 20 most-watched series among all broadcast and streaming competition for this season's episodes airing through January 4, 2026.