BCS Ratings Down Significantly From Last Year

By Brian Powell
My blogging partner in crime C. Mottram touched on just how bad yesterday’s BCS games were from a viewing standpoint, but now the numbers are in to show just how bad they were from a ratings standpoint.
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The Sugar Bowl blowout last night received a 7.9 Nielsen rating overnight which equates to only a little over 8 million households tuning into the FOX broadcast of the game. Compared to last year’s New Years Day primetime game and last year’s Sugar Bowl, these number are down significantly. FOX’s airing of Boise State-Oklahoma on Jan. 1 last year came in at a 8.9 (nearly 10 million viewers) and the Sugar Bowl between LSU and Notre Dame totaled a 9.8 (nearly 11 million viewers). Those are drops of 11.2% and 19.4%, respectively, from last year to this year.
While FOX got drubbed yesterday, the biggest loser was easily ABC. This year’s trouncing of Illinois by USC pulled in a 12.0 (under 13 million viewers) compared to last year’s 14.5 Nielsen rating (over 15 million viewers). ESPN/ABC was probably kicking itself after Ohio State got into the Championship game and they were stuck with a far less attractive Illinois team.
It’s not uncommon for this to happen to a few bowl games each year, but for the ratings to be down across the board speaks to something larger than just the matchups. I’ll be keeping an eye on the other three BCS games the rest of the way, but if I was a betting man (and I am), I think they’ll all be under last year’s ratings.
(Nielsen numbers via Sports Business Daily.)↵