Ratings Roundup: MLS Cup Total Audience Up 91% Over 2013; CFB Playoff Selection Show Big Hit for ESPN

An audience of 964,000 watched the MLS Cup on ESPN (Increase of 91% over MLS Cup 2013), while 678,000 viewed on UniMás (Increase of 31%) and 245,000 tuned in to Univision Deportes Network (Most viewed MLS match in UDN history) In addition, 89,000 unique viewers watched MLS Cup on WatchESPN (Increase of 83%), accumulating 4.3 million live minutes viewed.  MLS Cup 2014 set an all-time record for Spanish-language viewers, as 923,000 soccer fans watched the game on UniMás and on UDN. The match generated a 3.17 household rating in Boston and a 1.66 household rating in Los Angeles.  In addition, 172 countries, an all-time record, viewed MLS Cup on ESPN International and other networks throughout the world…

…The first-ever College Football Playoff Selection Show on Saturday (Dec. 3) garnered a 3.4 overnight rating in the show’s first 30 minutes (12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m.), which unveiled No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Florida State, and No. 4 Ohio State as the four teams that will participate in the inaugural College Football Playoff. Top markets from 12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m.: Columbus (15.3), Birmingham, (10.7), Dayton (8.3), Cleveland (7.5), Jacksonville (6.9), Greenville (6.5), Atlanta (6.3), Tampa-St. Pete (6.1), Orlando (5.8), and Knoxville (5.4) The College Football Playoff Selection Show averaged a 1.6 overnight rating for the duration of the show. Top markets were  Birmingham (8.4), Columbus (8.2), Dayton (3.6), Tulsa (3.5), and Greenville (3.5).

In terms of ESPN’s weekly series unveiling the rankings each Tuesday night (beginning October 28), the six-week weekly series averaged a 0.8 household rating and 1,109,000 viewers. The top markets for the weekly series were Birmingham (4.9), Columbus (3.7), Dayton (2.3), and Jacksonville (2.2)….

…As for ESPN’s coverage of the action on the field, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS combined to televise 272 FBS contests, reaching more than 185,687,000 viewers. The 272 telecasts averaged 1,767,000 viewers. The 517 FBS games on WatchESPN – every exclusive contest on an ESPN platform and the GamePlan matchups — generated 1,200,000,000 live minutes viewed, an 80 percent increase over 2013. Overall, 2014 produced WatchESPN’s 10 largest average minute audiences for regular-season college football games ever.

Saturday Night Football on ABC (34 windows) averaged 5,106,000 viewers and a 3.2 rating for 7 percent increases in each (vs. 4,778,000 and vs. 3.0). The series averaged 6,197,000 viewers and a 3.8 rating for increases of 8 percent (vs. 5,750,000) and 9 percent (vs. 3.5), respectively. In addition to the weekly ABC telecast, ESPN’s Saturday night games generated larger audiences than 2013, averaging 4,397,000 viewers for a 24 percent increase (vs. 3,557,000). Saturday night college football telecasts helped ESPN and ABC to finish first or second for the night across all cable and broadcast networks among total viewers on 14 of the season’s 15 Saturdays…

…ABC also ended on a high note, as Saturday’s Florida State/Georgia Tech ACC Championship Game on ABC drew a 6.2 final rating and 10.1 million viewers, up 82% in ratings and 79% in viewership from FSU/Duke last year (3.4, 5.7M) and the highest rated and most-watched ACC title game ever. (SportsMediaWatch)

…Last Saturday’s Alabama/Missouri SEC Championship Game drew a 7.8 final rating and 12.8 million viewers on CBS, down 9% in ratings and 11% in viewership from Auburn/Missouri last year (8.6, 14.3M) and down 20% and 21%, respectively, from Alabama/Georgia in 2012 (9.8, 16.2M). Although those are the game’s worst numbers since 2011, it also ranks as the fifth-highest rated SEC title game ever on CBS (14 telecasts dating back to 2001). (SportsMediaWatch)…

…ESPN’s Monday Night Football game – a Green Bay Packers’ 43-37 victory over the Atlanta Falcons –averaged an 8.5 household US rating; and 13,958,000 viewers (P2+) – down 17% in ratings and 14% in viewership from Cowboys/Bears last year (10.2, 16.2M). The game peaked from 9:15-9:30 p.m. with a 10.1 rating and 16,636,000 viewers. In Atlanta, the game delivered a 9.8 rating on ESPN and a 9.8 on WSB-ABC, for a combined 19.7 rating in the market. In Milwaukee, the game delivered a 16.9 rating on ESPN and a 33.3 on WISN-ABC, for a combined 50.2 rating in the market. Through the first 14 weeks (15 games), ESPN’s Monday Night Football is averaging an 8.3 household US rating; 9,610,000 households; and 13,306,000 viewers.

On ESPN Deportes, the game averaged a 0.5 Hispanic Household US rating with 72,000 Hispanic Household impressions, and 110,000 Hispanic P2+ impressions. Season-to-date, MNF on ESPN Deportes is averaging a 0.4 Hispanic Household US rating (a 33 percent gain) with 60,000 Hispanic Household impressions and 85,000 Hispanic P2+ impressions, increases of 33 percent and 27 percent, respectively…

The Packers-Falcons game had an average minute audience on WatchESPN of 103,000, up 35 percent compared to Week 14 last season. The game drew 315,000 unique viewers and 22 million total live minutes viewed, up 54 percent and 50 percent, respectively, over last year…

The Week 14 Patriots/Chargers Sunday Night Football game drew a 12.8 final rating and 21.2 million viewers on NBC, up 13% in ratings and 11% in viewership from Panthers/Saints last year (11.3, 19.1M) and flat and down 1%, respectively, from Lions/Packers in 2012 (12.8, 21.4M). (SportsMediaWatch)

…A total of 3.5 million Hispanics (P2+) tuned-in to ESPN Deportes’ coverage of the two-week long 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. Throughout the course of the event, ESPN Deportes was the highest-rated and most-watched Spanish-language sports network among Central American and Caribbean Households for both total day and primetime. The network also continues to rank as the most-watched Spanish-language sports network among Hispanics Households post the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. The telecast on November 28 featuring the Men’s Soccer Final between Mexico and Venezuela was the most-watched Central American Games telecast ever on the network delivering an average of 125,000 Hispanic viewers (P2+); at its peak time, the match delivered 212,000 Hispanic viewers (P2+)…

…Jon Lester’s signing with the Chicago Cubs drove MLB Network’s primetime coverage of the Winter Meetings to 179,000 viewers. That is up 48% from the prior record. (Forbes)

Password must contain the following:

A lowercase letter

A capital (uppercase) letter

A number

Minimum 8 characters