COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football’s return to the College Football Playoff coincided with big ratings for ESPN. According to numbers released by the Sugar Bowl, the 19.1 million viewers for the Buckeyes’ 49-28 victory over Clemson in a CFP semifinal made it the most-watched game of the 2020 bowl season. The Sugar Bowl edged out the game preceding it, the Rose Bowl between Alabama and Notre Dame, which drew 18.9 million. Per the Sugar Bowl, those games accounted for the most-watched cable telecasts and non-NFL sporting events across any network since the 2020 national championship between LSU and Clemson. The two semifinals stand up as ESPN’s third most-watched day of programming ever. However, according to Sports Media Watch, the semifinals averaged their smallest New Year’s Day audience. Not surprisingly, the top CFP semifinal markets were Birmingham, Alabama (42.1 average share) and Columbus (32.5). Based on history, Monday’s national championship…
Continue Reading: Ohio State’s return to the College Football Playoff exposed Buckeyes to huge television audience
