ESPN networks deliver best college football regular season since 2011; "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" scores most-watched season ever

· ESPN networks' most-watched college football regular season since 2011, averaging 2.2 million viewers per game

· ABC's best season since 2006 and the network was once again on top of the sport

· College GameDay sets all-time high and presents nine most-watched episodes ever

ESPN networks have wrapped up a record-setting college football regular season, delivering their highest average viewership since 2011. Across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, the sport averaged 2.2 million viewers per game, marking a 16 percent year-over-year increase. ABC posted its best season since 2006, averaging 6.9 million viewers over 46 regular season games - a 19 percent jump from last year and the third-highest average audience for the network on record (dating back to 1996).

All ESPN cable networks saw double-digit year-over-year growth: ESPN (up 14 percent), ESPN2 (up 18 percent) and ESPNU (up 23 percent). ABC was the top broadcast network for college football across all media companies, while ESPN was the most-watched cable network in the sport. Overall, college football across all nationally-rated networks saw record consumption, with 179 billion minutes watched - up 12 percent year-over-year.

Even excluding Nielsen Big Data measurement, ESPN networks were up 8 percent year-over-year, still marking their most-watched season since 2011. ABC's performance remained the best since 2006, regardless of Big Data inclusion.

ESPN: The Home of College Football

ESPN networks aired the most-watched game in 34 of 42 key Saturday windows, including seven of 14 noon windows, 13 of 14 late afternoon windows and all 14 prime windows. ESPN platforms broadcast eight of the top 10, 26 of the top 30 games this season, and the top 29 games on cable. Of the 16 games across all networks that drew more than 8 million viewers, ESPN networks aired 14. ABC delivered 9 games with more than 10 million viewers, the most ever for a network in a single season.

ABC owned the top two weekly college football windows, with ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One scoring 8 million viewers, (up 8 percent year-over-year) and SEC on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET with 7.8 million viewers, (up 31 percent year-over-year). ESPN's Friday Night window averaged 2.2 million viewers, up 26 percent year-over-year, featuring three of the network's five most-watched Friday games in the past decade.

ABC was the most-watched network in college football, averaging 3.5 million more viewers than any other network. Viewers watched more college football minutes on ABC than all other broadcast networks combined, and ESPN networks accounted for 61 percent of live game minutes viewed across nationally rated linear networks - more than 2.5 times the competition, up 4 percent from last year and the highest share since 2017.

College GameDay Continues to Raise the Bar

College GameDay had its most-watched season ever, averaging 2.7 million viewers (up 23 percent year-over-year) and more than doubling the audience of its competition. The season featured the nine most-watched regular season episodes ever, led by Lee Corso's final show in Week 1 with 4.0 million viewers. Growth was especially strong among women (up 35 percent) and viewers under 25 (up 35 percent). Even without Nielsen Big Data measurement, College GameDay Built by The Home Depot would be up 12 percent.

Top 10 College GameDay Episodes All Time

Season Date Week Location P2+ Viewers
2025 Aug 30 1 Columbus, Ohio 4.0 million
2025 Nov 29 14 Ann Arbor, Mich. 3.1 million
2025 Oct 4 6 Tuscaloosa, Ala. 2.8 million
2025 Sep 20 4 Miami, Fla 2.8 million
2025 Nov 22 13 Eugene, Ore. 2.7 million
2025 Oct 18 8 Athens, Ga. 2.7 million
2025 Oct 11 7 Eugene, Ore. 2.7 million
2025 Sep 13 3 Knoxville, Tenn. 2.7 million
2025 Sep 6 2 Norman, Okla. 2.6 million
2007 Nov 24 13 Kansas City, Mo. 2.6 million

Season Superlatives

· The SEC was the most-watched conference for the fourth consecutive season (based on total minutes), with SEC-controlled games averaging a record 5 million viewers (up 11 percent year-over-year) and accounting for 36 percent of all minutes watched across rated networks.

· ACC games on ESPN networks averaged 2.5 million viewers, up 70 percent year-over-year, with three of the top five weeknight games this season.

· ESPN networks aired three of the top five Big 12-controlled games of the season, including the top game of the season (Week 0, Iowa State vs. Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland).

· The SEC, ACC, Big 12, AAC, C-USA and Sun Belt all saw year-over-year gains on ESPN linear networks.

· Kickoff Weekend was the most-viewed on record for ESPN networks, up 31 percent year-over-year.

· Rivalry Week posted its highest audience since 2012, with ABC delivering its most-watched Rivalry Week since 2012 (7.9 million viewers) and airing five of the top six games of Week 14.

· Week 12 marked only the third time since 1996 that a single network aired two games with over 10 million viewers on the same day.

Top 10 Games on ESPN Networks
Date Week Window Game Network P2+ Viewers
Fri, Nov 28 14 Weekday Prime Texas A&M/Texas ABC 13.0 million
Sat, Sep 13 3 Sat Late Afternoon Georgia/Tennessee ABC 12.6 million
Sat, Nov 29 14 Sat Prime Alabama/Auburn ABC 11.3 million
Sun, Aug 31 1 Labor Day Sunday Notre Dame/Miami ABC 10.8 million
Sat, Aug 30 1 Sat Late Afternoon Alabama/Florida State ABC 10.7 million
Sat, Nov 15 12 Sat Late Afternoon Oklahoma/Alabama ABC 10.5 million
Sat, Aug 30 1 Sat Prime LSU/Clemson ABC 10.5 million
Sat, Nov 15 12 Sat Prime Texas/Georgia ABC 10.4 million
Sat, Sep 27 5 Sat Prime Alabama/Georgia ABC 10.4 million
Sat, Oct 18 8 Sat Late Afternoon Ole Miss/Georgia ABC 9.8 million

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