The Georgia Bulldogs’ 54-48 win over the Oklahoma Sooners in Monday’s Rose Bowl delivered a 12.5 overnight household rating on ESPN. Company noted the combined ESPN and ESPN2 ratings for the College Football Playoff semifinal in Pasadena were up 29% compared to last year’s bowl game on the same two nets.
The Rose Bowl’s first ever double overtime game did not, however, best the inaugural CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl — Florida State-Oregon on January 1, 2015 — which remains the highest-rated CFP Semifinal to date with a 15.5 overnight rating. Birmingham clocked the largest local rating yesterday, a 42.8, followed by Oklahoma City at 35.9, Tulsa with a 35.6, and Atlanta’s 33.7.
Against College Football Playoffs on ESPN, broadcast programs took direct hits.
ABC’s The Bachelor (1.5 demo rating, 5.45 million viewers) was the night’s best-rated broadcast show in the demo, but tumbled 29% in that metric across its 8-10 PM airing, as well as 18% in total viewers, compared to last year’s season launch. Even so, the hook-up series secured a primetime demo win for ABC on the night among broadcasters.
CBS didn’t do ABC any favors running a The Big Bang Theory repeat and 90 minutes of Young Sheldon repeats against Bachelor’s launch.
The 8 PM The Big Bang Theory (1.1, 6.59M) was tops for the night in total viewers, after which three Young Sheldon repeats (1.0, 6.25M; 0.9, 5.99M; o.9, 6.03M) finished first in their half-hour slots, besting first-run broadcast programming. CBS finished No. 1 in primetime in overall audience among broadcasters.
Original competition included NBC’s The Wall (0.8, 4.32M) and back-to-back episodes of Better Late Than Never (0.7, 4.20M; 0.7, 4.08M) – among originals taking backstage on the cable-spotlighting night.
Fox’s return to original episodes of Lucifer (0.7, 3.14M), and The Gifted (0.7, 2.52M) were sent by the competition to series lows in the demo. CW’s original Valor (0.2, 790K), following a Supergirl repeat (0.2, 900K), held firm in the demo but got nicked in overall audience.
ABC (1.2, 5.03M) took the night in the demo, among broadcasters. CBS (0.8, 5.34M) tied NBC (0.8, 4.20M) in the demo but won in total crowd. Fox (0.7, 2.84M) finished fourth, followed by the CW (0.2, 840K).
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