Citrus Bowl Ratings Sink to Multi-Year Lows

[mnsportsgeek]

The Tigers’ win earned the second-lowest rating and viewership for the Citrus Bowl since at least 2001, ahead of only the 2012 game on ESPN (2.9, 4.5M). It was also ABC’s lowest rated and least-watched New Year’s Day bowl game since at least ’01, falling below the previous marks of 5.1 for the 2012 Outback Bowl and 7.7 million for the 2006 Citrus Bowl.

A major factor was tougher competition on ESPN and ESPN2. Both the Cotton Bowl on ESPN (5.2, 9.1M) and Outback Bowl on ESPN2 (3.8, 6.4M) topped the Citrus Bowl, marking the first time that either network has beaten ABC head-to-head on New Year’s Day. Each game improved substantially over the comparable timeslot last year, with ESPN up 63% in ratings and 67% in viewership and ESPN2 up a more modest 46% and 42%, respectively.

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/201...ewership-multi-year-low-abc-college-football/

 

[BleedGopher]

CFB Bowl Ratings: With Competing Bowls Up, Citrus Sinks on ABC

per Sports Media Watch:

Tougher competition from other bowl games led to a steep decline for the Citrus Bowl.

The Missouri/Minnesota Citrus Bowl drew a 3.6 rating and 6.0 million viewers on ABC New Year’s Day, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — down 36% in ratings and 38% in viewership from South Carolina/Wisconsin last year (5.6, 9.6M) and down 45% in both measures from Georgia/Nebraska in 2013 (6.6, 11.0M).

The Tigers’ win earned the second-lowest rating and viewership for the Citrus Bowl since at least 2001, ahead of only the 2012 game on ESPN (2.9, 4.5M). It was also ABC’s lowest rated and least-watched New Year’s Day bowl game since at least ’01, falling below the previous marks of 5.1 for the 2012 Outback Bowl and 7.7 million for the 2006 Citrus Bowl.

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/201...ewership-multi-year-low-abc-college-football/

Go Gophers!!

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I beat Bleed by a minute. My life is complete.

 

[die hard gopher]

Substituting the Gator bowl for the Cotton Bowl kills the Citrus. No surprise there.

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

It didn't help that those other two bowls started an hour and half-hour before the Citrus and were close games thereby preventing most viewers from switching channels. Plus, MN and Mizzou were relatively low ranked teams compared to other Citrus Bowls and few people outside these programs cared about the game.

 

[#1nHkyCfbBsbDncSolarDebat]

I think the ratings being down is partly because of 2 factors, Minnesota honestly is still in rebuilding mode from the mess that Brew left over for Kill to clean up, so who nationally is honestly going to care about Minnesota?

And on the other side of the equation, Missouri wasn't even the best team in the SEC East, that was clearly the Georgia team that beat Missouri, in Missouri, 34-0. And Missouri also embarrassed the SEC by losing to the 2nd worst B1G team, 4-8 Indiana. And after Bama pummeled Mizzou by 29 in the SEC Title game, SEC fans in general couldn't have been very high on Missouri either. So you had nothing but Minnesota fans and Missouri fans watching the game.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Substituting the Gator bowl for the Cotton Bowl kills the Citrus. No surprise there.

To me it says that while ABC provides an advantage, it doesn't have nearly the same advantage that it used to. Most of the people who want to watch sports have cable.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Yep, the Cotton Bowl is the main reason. Still not sure why they didn't play the Cotton Bowl by itself on Friday.

The Gator Bowl had a rating of 2.64 last year. As noted above, the Cotton Bowl this year had a rating of 5.2.

 

[GophersInIowa]

To me it says that while ABC provides an advantage, it doesn't have nearly the same advantage that it used to. Most of the people who want to watch sports have cable.

I remember reading about 5 years ago that 97% (or somewhere in the high 90's) of people with a TV had ESPN at that time.

 

[cncmin]

There's little reason to have 3 good bowl games on at the same time, especially when they're followed up by the much more important playoff games. One of those 3 games should go to a different date; or the semifinals should change to the next day.