Combined average audience for two CFP semifinal games was virtually even with last seasonGETTY IMAGES
The New Year’s Six Bowls averaged just under 11 million viewers this season across ESPN networks, which is a new low since the CFP started in ’14-15. This season’s six games, which includes the two CFP semifinals on New Year’s Day, were down 15% from last season (12.9 million), when the semis were played on a Saturday night (Dec. 28, 2019). The previous low was in ’15-16, when ESPN networks averaged 11.9 million (semifinals were on New Year’s Eve). The CFP’s semifinal doubleheader across ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU on New Year’s Day overcame two blowouts to post viewership numbers relatively flat compared to last season. Alabama's win over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One and Ohio State's defeat of Clemson in the Allstate Sugar Bowl averaged 19.03 million viewers, virtually even with what last season's semifinals in the Peach and Fiesta bowls drew. Ohio State’s 49-28 win in primetime was the top semifinal with 19.15 million viewers. That is down 8% from 20.92 million viewers for the same matchup in the primetime semifinal last season (Clemson won 29-23). The last time the Sugar Bowl was a semifinal was Alabama-Clemson on Jan. 1, 2018; that game averaged 21.12 million. The Rose Bowl earlier in the day averaged 18.89 million viewers for Alabama’s 31-14 win. The early semifinal last year -- LSU’s 63-28 win over Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl -- averaged 17.01 million. When the Rose Bowl was last a semifinal, Georgia-Oklahoma averaged 26.83 million.
CLOSER LOOK: When full streaming and out-of-home viewership become available for the CFP semis, it is likely that this season’s semifinal doubleheader will pass last season. New Year’s Day also marked ESPN’s third-best day on record for the network, helped by Georgia’s last-second win over Cincinnati earlier in the day in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Not helping the New Year’s Six figures this season was what is likely a record low for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. Iowa State’s 34-17 win over Oregon averaged just 6.7 million viewers on Jan. 2. The previous low for the Fiesta Bowl was 7.4 million back in ’14 for Boise State-Arizona. Texas A&M’s win over North Carolina in the Capital One Orange Bowl earlier on Jan. 2 averaged 7.6 million viewers, which actually is up for the bowl from last season, when Florida-Virginia averaged 6.1 million (on Dec. 30, 2019).
MORE BOWL VIEWERSHIP: ESPN on Dec. 30 averaged 5.77 million viewers for Oklahoma's win over Florida in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Last year, the same bowl (Penn State-Memphis) also started the New Year's Six lineup, but aired in a 12:00pm ET window on a Saturday and led into the semifinal matchups. That PSU-Memphis game averaged 6.22 million viewers. The Cotton Bowl aired by itself in '17 on a Friday night, averaging 9.47 million viewers for Ohio State-USC. Meanwhile, Georgia's last-second win over Cincinnati in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Jan. 1 averaged 8.31 million viewers leading into this year's semis, on par with the 8.34 million from 2018 when Florida-Michigan led into the semis. The Peach Bowl was a semifinal game last season.
