FCS Playoff TV Ratings

[FargoBison]

SDSU at NDSU 1.98 Million
(https://sportstvratings.com/heisman-presentation-catholics-vs-convicts-north-dakota-st-south-dakota-st-top-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-saturday-december-10-2016/7069/)SHSU at JMU 509k.
(https://sportstvratings.com/rockets-thunder-suns-lakers-sportscenter-top-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-friday-december-9-2016/7057/)
The Friday night game is slightly down from last year(546k) while the Saturday game is up from the 1.644 million that watched NDSU-UNI last year. I believe the SDSU at NDSU game has set the FCS record, topping App State-Montana's 1.87 million.

[BisonBacker]

Nice xdrunkyx

[UNDColorado]

Those are solid ratings! I turned the JMU / Sam game off at halftime because it was already over.

[Redbird007]

Those are solid ratings! I turned the JMU / Sam game off at halftime because it was already over.

I commend you for hanging in there that long as the game was over early in the second quarter.

[RootinFerDukes]

Everyone in BFS knew the game was over with 4 minutes left in the 1st when we went up 21-0 after the punt return. Even NDSU probably wouldn't come back on us if we went up 3 TDs at any point in the game.

[UNDColorado]

I commend you for hanging in there that long as the game was over early in the second quarter.

Haha yeah late in the second I was really only watching to see if Sam would show me anything. Nope, that's 30 minutes I will never get back!

[Execute008]

SDSU at NDSU 1.98 Million
(https://sportstvratings.com/heisman-presentation-catholics-vs-convicts-north-dakota-st-south-dakota-st-top-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-saturday-december-10-2016/7069/)SHSU at JMU 509k.
(https://sportstvratings.com/rockets-thunder-suns-lakers-sportscenter-top-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-friday-december-9-2016/7057/)
The Friday night game is slightly down from last year(546k) while the Saturday game is up from the 1.644 million that watched NDSU-UNI last year. I believe the SDSU at NDSU game has set the FCS record, topping App State-Montana's 1.87 million.


I can see how that happened. NDSU brings ratings. When you have a dynasty and rolling over everyone more people are going to watch to see if you are going to lose or not.

[Thumper 76]

I can see how that happened. NDSU brings ratings. When you have a dynasty and rolling over everyone more people are going to watch to see if you are going to lose or not.

I would like to think the fact that the opponent had an effect as well, considering no other NDSU games had topped the app st Montana game....


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[POD Knows]

I would like to think the fact that the opponent had an effect as well, considering no other NDSU games had topped the app st Montana game....


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We probably picked up some clueless southern California FBS fans thinking that San Diego State U was playing NDSU.

[FargoBison]

Friday semifinal rating is in...

ESPN2: NDSU vs JMU, 1.065 million (https://sportstvratings.com/lakers-76ers-james-madison-north-dakota-state-mavericks-jazz-top-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-friday-december-16-2016/7110/)

[CHIP72]

I can see how that happened. NDSU brings ratings. When you have a dynasty and rolling over everyone more people are going to watch to see if you are going to lose or not.


I would like to think the fact that the opponent had an effect as well, considering no other NDSU games had topped the app st Montana game....

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I think the biggest thing that brings ratings is no other college football games on TV in the same time slot.

[ASU33]

Celebration Bowl looked good also. Up from the the solid numbers from last year.

[Thumper 76]

I think the biggest thing that brings ratings is no other college football games on TV in the same time slot.

So are the FCS kickoff games another's, they never set the record. It obviously helps, but it's not the biggest factor in setting the record.


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[ASU33]

http://www.hbcugameday.com/2016/12/celebration-bowl-tv-ratings-up-from.html?m=1

2.0 for the Celebration Bowl

[CHIP72]

So are the FCS kickoff games another's, they never set the record. It obviously helps, but it's not the biggest factor in setting the record.

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The DI-AA/FCS playoff quarterfinal game played in Week 15 in the Saturday at 12 PM ET time slot benefits significantly IMO from functioning as a lead-in to the Army/Navy game, which itself has benefited in recent years from the lack of other college football games played and televised at the same time.

Speaking of the Army/Navy game, this year's game had its largest TV audience since 1992, drawing 7.94 million viewers.

[ASU33]

The DI-AA/FCS playoff quarterfinal game played in Week 15 in the Saturday at 12 PM ET time slot benefits significantly IMO from functioning as a lead-in to the Army/Navy game, which itself has benefited in recent years from the lack of other college football games played and televised at the same time.

Speaking of the Army/Navy game, this year's game had its largest TV audience since 1992, drawing 7.94 million viewers.

Wow! I honestly would expect more for Army/Navy.

[CHIP72]

Wow! I honestly would expect more for Army/Navy.

I wouldn't - IMO most college football fans are pretty provincial and/or only want to see the top teams.


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[ASU33]

I wouldn't - IMO most college football fans are pretty provincial and/or only want to see the top teams.


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True. That's one of the games I make my business to watch every year. We went last year and it's truly an awesome setting.

[FargoBison]

Saturday's ratings are in...

ESPNU: EWU-YSU 457k (https://sportstvratings.com/dolphins-jets-appalachian-st-toledo-top-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-saturday-december-17-2016/7119/)

[CHIP72]

Youngstown State/Eastern Washington had 457K viewers on ESPNU.

Incidentally, for people who question the impact of games with snow on a TV audience, the D2 national championship game, which was played in near blizzard conditions in Kansas City, attracted 790K TV viewers. By contrast, the 2015 D2 title game, played in the exact same time slot and also televised on ESPN2, drew 369K TV viewers.


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[ysubigred]

Youngstown State/Eastern Washington had 457K viewers on ESPNU.

Incidentally, for people who question the impact of games with snow on a TV audience, the D2 national championship game, which was played in near blizzard conditions in Kansas City, attracted 790K TV viewers. By contrast, the 2015 D2 title game, played in the exact same time slot and also televised on ESPN2, drew 369K TV viewers.


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Being on ESPNU is the joke here! ESPNU is not a channel everybody has xsmhx

[CHIP72]

I'm unsure, but I think YSU/EWU drew somewhat more viewers than SHSU/JSU in 2015. (That 2015 game started at 4 PM ET.)


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[CHIP72]

Celebration Bowl looked good also. Up from the the solid numbers from last year.

That game had 2.71 million viewers, which is about 37% more viewers than the SDSU/NDSU quarterfinal playoff game a week earlier. (As a frame of reference, both games started at 12 PM ET, NC Central/Grambling State was on ABC while SDSU/NDSU was on ESPN, and NCC/GSU had viewing competition starting at 2 PM ET (New Mexico/Texas-San Antonio bowl game on ESPN) while SDSU/NDSU was televised unopposed for essentially the entire game, excluding ESPN3 broadcasts.)

[CHIP72]

I'm unsure, but I think YSU/EWU drew somewhat more viewers than SHSU/JSU in 2015. (That 2015 game started at 4 PM ET.)

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I found some information elsewhere about the TV audience for the Saturday FCS/DI-AA semifinal games in 2014 and 2015. Here's the comparison (all 3 games were televised on ESPNU):

*2014: Illinois State/New Hampshire - 370K viewers (2 PM ET start; slightly overlapped with an NFL game on the NFL Network that started at 4:30 PM ET, as well as other college football games)
*2015: Sam Houston State/Jacksonville State - 256K viewers (4 PM ET start)
*2016: Youngstown State/Eastern Washington - 457K viewers (6:30 PM ET start)

The 6:30 PM ET start didn't really help the YSU/EWU game that much relative to previous years' games; it still competed with various bowl games and the D2 championship game for part of its TV window, and also competed with an NFL game from probably the mid-3rd quarter on. (Additionally, one of those bowl games, Toledo/Appalachian State, was a very good game, and started an hour before Youngstown State/Eastern Washington.) My guess is the increased audience for YSU/EWU was caused by 1) the closeness of the game and 2) the extremely cold temperatures making the game more fascinating to some viewers. The even worse weather during the D2 title game (similar temperatures as YSU/EWU but falling snow throughout the game) may have helped YSU/EWU a bit too; people were intrigued by one very cold weather game and wanted to see another.

[Professor]

Interesting data