Saturday NFL Games Outshine College Football Playoff Debut in Viewership
As the holiday season unfolds, sports fans are treated to a smorgasbord of thrilling matchups across both college football and the NFL. This past Saturday was no exception, as the NFL’s regular season games managed to outshine the much-anticipated debut of college football’s 12-team playoff in terms of viewership. Let’s dive into the numbers and see how the games stacked up against each other.
On Saturday, the NFL showcased two games that captured the attention of millions. The first matchup featured the Houston Texans taking on the Kansas City Chiefs, a game that aired on NBC and drew an impressive average of 15.5 million viewers. Meanwhile, over on the college football side, the playoff game between SMU and Penn State was broadcast on TNT networks. Despite the excitement surrounding the new playoff format, this game averaged only 6.4 million viewers.
Later in the day, the NFL continued to dominate the airwaves with the Steelers facing off against the Ravens on Fox. This game attracted 15.4 million viewers, further solidifying the NFL’s stronghold on Saturday’s viewership. In contrast, the college football playoff game between Clemson and Texas, also aired on TNT, managed to draw 8.6 million viewers.
While the NFL games clearly outperformed the college football playoff games on Saturday, it’s worth noting that the college games did have some bright spots. On Friday night, ESPN and ABC aired the Indiana-Notre Dame game, which garnered 13.4 million viewers. This was followed by the Tennessee-Ohio State game on Saturday night, which attracted 14.3 million viewers. Notably, these games did not have to compete with any NFL matchups, which likely contributed to their higher viewership numbers.
Overall, the college football playoff games averaged 10.6 million viewers, a figure that surpasses all but four college games this season. This suggests that while the NFL may have had the upper hand on Saturday, there is still significant interest in college football’s new playoff format.
- Texans-Chiefs on NBC: 15.5 million viewers
- SMU-Penn State on TNT: 6.4 million viewers
- Steelers-Ravens on Fox: 15.4 million viewers
- Clemson-Texas on TNT: 8.6 million viewers
- Indiana-Notre Dame on ESPN/ABC: 13.4 million viewers
- Tennessee-Ohio State on ESPN/ABC: 14.3 million viewers
As we reflect on these numbers, it’s clear that the NFL continues to be a powerhouse in the world of sports broadcasting. However, the college football playoff’s debut has shown promise, and it will be interesting to see how viewership trends evolve as the playoff format becomes more established. For now, sports fans can enjoy the best of both worlds as they cheer on their favorite teams in both the NFL and college football.
Originally Written by: ESPN.com
