BCS Ratings Were Expected to Drop … And They Did. Non-BCS Bowl Game Ratings Were Down, Too
BCS Ratings: Remember the late-December prediction of low BCS ratings? They happened. “ESPN’s Auburn-Oregon title game Monday drew 15.3% of U.S. TV households — down 11% from last year’s Alabama-Texas game and the lowest title game rating in six years … The Oklahoma-Connecticut Fiesta Bowl fell 30%, followed by the Stanford-Virginia Tech Orange Bowl (off 22%) and TCU-Wisconsin Rose Bowl (off 14%).” (Reminder: The games were on cable this year for the first time.) The only BCS game that was up from 2010 was Ohio State-Arkansas (which I thought was the most entertaining BCS game). It wasn’t just ratings of BCS games that were down, either: “ESPN/ABC’s 28 non-BCS bowls averaged 2.5% — down 11%.” [USA Today]
- Riddick Bowe Promoted His Unsuccessful Muay Thai Debut By Allowing Monkeys to Climb All Over Him in Thailand
- New Zealand High School Rugby Player With the Most Vicious Hit of the Decade [Painful Video and Gif]
- Mario Balotelli Scores Goal, Kicks Own Shoes, Shouts Out Drake; All in a Day’s Work
- The 2013 MLB All-Star Game Batting Practice Jerseys Can be Yours for the Low, Low Price of $99.99
- Manu Ginobili’s Bald Spot Disappears After One Magical Swipe From Tim Duncan [GIF]
- Shining Base Path on MLB At-Bat Music: Ballplayers Love Drake, Pitbull, Metallica and 90s Hip Hop Jams
- scripty on New Zealand High School Rugby Player With the Most Vicious Hit of the Decade [Painful Video and Gif]
- scripty on Riddick Bowe Promoted His Unsuccessful Muay Thai Debut By Allowing Monkeys to Climb All Over Him in Thailand
- TonyToniTone Has Done It Again on MLB At-Bat Music: Ballplayers Love Drake, Pitbull, Metallica and 90s Hip Hop Jams
- TheRealAC on New Zealand High School Rugby Player With the Most Vicious Hit of the Decade [Painful Video and Gif]
66 Responses to “BCS Ratings Were Expected to Drop … And They Did. Non-BCS Bowl Game Ratings Were Down, Too”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
![Is it Weird How Nobody is Remotely Panicking About the Heat Being Down 3-2 (Except Dan LeBatard)? [NBA]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13715027440-thumb0.jpg)
Is it Weird How Nobody is Remotely Panicking About the Heat Being Down 3-2 (Except Dan LeBatard)? [NBA]![Mississippi State Rebels T-Shirts Were Being Sold At The College World Series. Oops! [College Baseball]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13714715941-thumb1.png)
Mississippi State Rebels T-Shirts Were Being Sold At The College World Series. Oops! [College Baseball]![Doc Emrick Said Pass 53 Different Ways in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals [NHL]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13714247752-thumb2.jpg)
Doc Emrick Said Pass 53 Different Ways in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals [NHL]![Alex Morgan Met the Gronkowski Brothers, Awkwardness Ensued [Video]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13714840573-thumb3.jpg)
Alex Morgan Met the Gronkowski Brothers, Awkwardness Ensued [Video]![Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders Cover 22″ By Taylor Swift Using Nothing But Lip-Syncing and Bikinis [Video]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13715040434-thumb4.png)
Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders Cover 22″ By Taylor Swift Using Nothing But Lip-Syncing and Bikinis [Video]![Florida Gators LB Antonio Morrison Arrested After Allegedly Punching a Bouncer [College Football]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13714728105-thumb5.jpg)
Florida Gators LB Antonio Morrison Arrested After Allegedly Punching a Bouncer [College Football]![Stephen A. Smith Wants to Be on NBA Countdown. He Could Get His Wish if Bill Simmons Leaves [ESPN]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13713479876-thumb6.jpg)
Stephen A. Smith Wants to Be on NBA Countdown. He Could Get His Wish if Bill Simmons Leaves [ESPN]![Phil Mickelson Eagled the 10th Hole at the US Open [Video]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13714257707-thumb7.jpg)
Phil Mickelson Eagled the 10th Hole at the US Open [Video]![Mad Men Recap: The 'Quality of Mercy' And Don as Drunk, Fetal Position Shylock [TV]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13715179288-thumb8.jpg)
Mad Men Recap: The 'Quality of Mercy' And Don as Drunk, Fetal Position Shylock [TV]![Allen Iverson Abducted His Kids, His Wife Claims in Court Papers [NBA]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/plugin/resize_13714787679-thumb9.jpg)
Allen Iverson Abducted His Kids, His Wife Claims in Court Papers [NBA]
January 12th, 2011 at 10:02 AM
The answer? A playoff.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:03 AM
I still am unsure about this decision by Disney. They’re going for exclusivity with ESPN and all but putting these games on ABC may have been a better decision.
Then again, they made advertising profits from their standard programming on ABC and with the sports on ESPN.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:03 AM
wow, so when you have a championship game with two of the largest fanbases in the nation the ratings will be higher? jarring.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:03 AM
I got home from LL Monday night and went to put the game on and was surprised it was on ESPN. I was expecting ABC. I didn’t even think about it.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:04 AM
I haven’t clicked on the article yet, but I hope it goes on to show the disparity between the number of households that have ABC and the number of households that have cable (ESPN). unless this difference is accounted for, it’s absolutley fruitless to compare ratings from this year to last year.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:04 AM
Just so long as its televised on network television…note how this post doesn’t mention that the title game was the most watched program in the history of cable television, have to read the link for that
January 12th, 2011 at 10:06 AM
This is right. Putting the games on ABC completely cannibalizes ESPN programming and their ratings. Might as well keep your usual ABC primetime ratings and get a big boost on ESPN.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:06 AM
Yep, ratings are the most important aspect. Attendance at bowls is a fact to be ignored
January 12th, 2011 at 10:08 AM
I have clicked on the article and am getting ready to read, but I’ve figured out that I’m just tired of the ratings argument/talking points for anything and everything.
until the ratings system is changed from an overall number or overall percentage of households to a number that represents a ratio of the people that watched to the number of people that actually had access to watch, ratings are a terrible metric.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:08 AM
I thought I saw on Twitter the other day that the BCS was bragging about some .8 percentage increase in ratings? Were they wrong?
January 12th, 2011 at 10:09 AM
You missed the tag line where the game was THE HIGHEST RATED SHOW IN CABLE HISTORY
/don’t let facts get in the way of a fucked up agenda
January 12th, 2011 at 10:09 AM
I blame Detroit for that glaring -2.7% in the NHL.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:09 AM
go bucks!
January 12th, 2011 at 10:10 AM
This
And this.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:11 AM
That was the average increase in attendance for all bowl games this year…but the system is broken since this site says so
January 12th, 2011 at 10:11 AM
POPPYCOCK!!!!
January 12th, 2011 at 10:11 AM
article didn’t even account for it. all I want is full disclosure in comparison and contrast exercises. fuck that guy.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:12 AM
It doesn’t really matter. The fact that its on ESPN is the reason that a playoff or at least a +1 will be here by 2014.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:12 AM
Well said.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:12 AM
Perhaps ESPN stops starting the fucking games at 8:45 p.m. EST then people will stay up and watch them. Sorry, but I work first shift and can’t just stay up past 11 p.m. on a Monday night.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:14 AM
This. Not to mention it was StubHub’s highest selling event in their history.
Thanks for the congratulatory comments about the win the other day. If you haven’t experienced it yet, it feels pretty damn good.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:14 AM
Yup. But this goes for MNF on ESPN too. Unless its my team, I dont make it past halftime.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:15 AM
I hate TMZ but it’s the only place that had it… Mike Adamle got a DUI. American Gladiators alumni everywhere are disappointed.
Can’t believe he’s 61 years old.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:16 AM
For college football, I don’t mind seeing lower ratings. Easier to weed out the Joe Casual Fans that want to minimize the regular season and get giddy about a 7-9 team in the title hunt.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:18 AM
There will never be a satisfactory solution to this. You can’t start a game before one of the two fan bases gets home from work, which means that I have to go to bed at halftime.
Maybe if Gene Chizik would have called out Kelly, Rex Ryan style. Or if maybe his wife made some foot videos.
/anti-agenda’d
January 12th, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Disney mopped up. Whatever crap was on ABC that night should also be included. Had the games been on ABC, whatever was on ESPN would have had really reallly low ratings. Genius by ESPN/ABC.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:18 AM
I haven’t clicked on the article yet, but I hope it goes on to show the disparity between the number of households that have ABC and the number of households that have cable (ESPN). unless this difference is accounted for, it’s absolutley fruitless to compare ratings from this year to last year.
article didn’t even account for it. all I want is full disclosure in comparison and contrast exercises. fuck that guy.
I remember when this BS started a few weeks ago on here seeing a tweet that ESPN is in 85% of homes. Therefore, an 11% “drop” in ratings from ABC is actually an increase in % of homes that watched the game over prior year
January 12th, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Yeah, I might’ve stayed awake for 1/3 of the Sunday night and MNF games. I tried, but just dozed off. At least SNF starts at like 8:15-8:30 and MNF at 8:30. The bowl games started closer to 8:40 and then had those stupid extra-long halftime shows that didn’t allow the second half to start until 10:45. Ridiculous.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:19 AM
It still kind of shocks me how many people dont have cable or satellite
January 12th, 2011 at 10:20 AM
I hate TMZ but it’s the only place that had it… Mike Adamle got a DUI. American Gladiators alumni everywhere are disappointed.
Really, if you weren’t doing your nightly Hossa dick slobbering, maybe you would have caught this 11 hours ago
January 12th, 2011 at 10:21 AM
It still kind of shocks me how many people dont have cable or satellite
The people that don’t have cable probably aren’t watching sports anyways.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:21 AM
I’d be curious to see how many people have it now as compared to 3-4 years ago…probably one of the first cuts people made to save money if they needed to
January 12th, 2011 at 10:21 AM
Thanks for the congratulatory comments about the win the other day. If you haven’t experienced it yet, it feels pretty damn good.
I have……but sadly, only twice(’94 Rangers-’02 OSU) Sadly, living in Cleveland, I most likely will never celebrate one here………..miz.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:21 AM
Anybody else played Oregon and been disappointed with their fans?
January 12th, 2011 at 10:22 AM
The move to cable is still an interesting one to me. Obviously you want ESPN to be able to charge providers as high a rate as possible.
I guess the potential revenue there must be greater than whatever they are losing by moving live sports — which I assume advertisers are paying a premium for these days since people aren’t skipping through all the ads with their DVR — off of the network. I guess I’ll be interested if networks continue doing this with other products.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:23 AM
My inlaws don’t have cable. They just went a bought a nice new HD TV after Xmas (you can get decent HD feeds with a nice antenna), but when I asked “does this mean you’re finally getting cable?”, my father-in-law replied “never.”
Then, they bitch when they can’t watch the Pens games carried on the local Fox Sports affiliate.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:23 AM
I would imagine a sizable chunk of the people without cable or satellite are those with illegal hookups.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:25 AM
or, playing the actual game not on the monday following a NFL playoff weekend…
instead of having friday-sunday talk with some predominant BCS championship talk that you would have gotten in the last couple weeks of the NFL season, you limit your exposure and get squashed by the NFL playoffs.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:26 AM
/raises hand
bbryan is a big Oregon honk. he seems cool. (except for the headphones thing)
January 12th, 2011 at 10:26 AM
Yeah exactly, the difference between ABC and ESPN isnt that monumental if non cable people wouldnt have watched this on ABC anyway.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:27 AM
The answer?
How about NOT dragging this shit out to the fucking 10th of January? Remember when all the good games were on Jan 1? Yeah I miss those days too.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:27 AM
Another great point. College football should not be played after New Year’s Day. Or maybe January 2. Wasn’t the NC game played on Jan. 2 when the BCS first started?
January 12th, 2011 at 10:28 AM
What a fucking waste
January 12th, 2011 at 10:28 AM
The fans I was around didn’t have very good bullshit. It was kind of disappointing. And they all wore jerseys…and a lot of them had earrings…the dudes.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:29 AM
I know lots of people that either:
- Cut cable and watch everything online
- Have cable but only the very basic channels (no ESPN)
- Have no TV at all
January 12th, 2011 at 10:30 AM
There was a game Monday night?
/Oregon cheerleaders>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Auburn’s Cheerleaders
January 12th, 2011 at 10:30 AM
that’s a big one, too. just imagine if the NFL or MLB decided to wait 35 days to play the championship game between two teams (decided on regular season records) while all the other teams played what boils down to minor division championship games over the course of 35 days.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Michigan never offered the job to Harbaugh. I’m hearing that there goes the left at the alter theory.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Everyone does, but never going to happen again. BCS is never going to have two BSC games on at the same time. Playoff would have the same problem.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Fuck these people. They think they’re better than everyone else. I hate these people. I hate when you’re talking about some show at the water cooler and these smarmy cockbags are like, “I don’t watch tv.” Fuck them in the asshole.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:32 AM
/Word Press Blows
January 12th, 2011 at 10:33 AM
January 12th, 2011 at 10:33 AM
ABC had a new episode of The Bachelor, and CBS conceded the night. I’m sure they racked up. When the game is on ABC, ESPN usually counters with poker.
I agree, but I cringe at the thought of some ESPN suit right now proposing ways to increase interest, like a celebrity flag football game or better yet–Chris Berman.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:34 AM
Fuck them in the asshole.
I better start watching TV then…….I don’t want this.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:35 AM
My wife and I cut cable after buying our first home. Having an HDTV is still worth it if you play video games and Blu-ray movies.
As far as sports go, I still can watch games through various sites online.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Yeah, that’s about right. Usually it’s the homeschooling family that doesn’t want any negative influences for their kids. The fact that their kids are smart and well-disciplined makes me hate them even more.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Yeah, that makes sense. I forgot I had read that. Win for Disney.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:35 AM
My cable provider is Charter Communications and they run these commercials basically about how awesome cable and phone service is (could be generic commercials used for all providers) but one is just people talking about how awesome TV is and that people who dont watch it are jackasses, I enjoy it.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:36 AM
Brad is a ratings magnet.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:37 AM
Brilliant counter-programming.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:38 AM
So you cheered when the chick died in “The Bridge to Terabithia”
January 12th, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Good link. I’m glad my belief was basically confirmed. Now people can shut the heck up about Brandon “dropping the ball” or Hoke being “the last option” or whatever other tired cliche.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:40 AM
T1000 with a stirring performance in that film.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Never saw it.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:46 AM
No doubt. Saw them both up close pregame. Auburn cheerleaders look like they’re ready to get married. Oregon cheerleaders look like they’re ready to get boned.
January 12th, 2011 at 1:24 PM
Yes, it is certainly a disappointment to be THE HIGHEST RATED CABLE PROGRAM OF ALL TIME.
And a thousand thumbs-ups to Oregon cheerleaders. Hey Auburn, it’s not 1955 anymore. Your girls don’t have to dress like they’re getting ready to settle in for a long day in front of the oven.