ESPN’s coverage of the Sugar Bowl drew the largest audience in cable television history, helping the all-sports cable network top its broadcast competition to be the week’s most-watched network
ESPN averaged 8.31 million viewers for its prime-time programming between Dec. 29 and Sunday, according to live-plus-same day figures released by Nielsen Thursday.
In a week the broadcast networks had relatively little first-run scripted programming until Sunday, NBC was second, averaging 7.34 million, followed by CBS, which averaged 7.31 million, Fox which averaged 5.38 million and ABC, which averaged 4.73 million.
An average of 28.27 million viewers watched fourth-ranked Ohio State’s 42-35 upset of top-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, which also served as a College Football Playoff Semifinal.
Thursday’s Sugar Bowl was also the week’s most-watched program, topping NBC’s coverage of Saturday’s Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers playoff game which averaged 27.94 million viewers to finish second.
Before Thursday, the most-watched cable television program was the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game on Jan. 10, 2011 between Auburn and Oregon which averaged 27.32 million viewers.
ESPN’s coverage of the Rose Bowl, the first College Football Playoff Semifinal, which did not air in prime time, averaged 28.16 million viewers, also topping the previous cable record.
Fox also benefited from football as the prime-time runover of its coverage of Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys-Detroit Lions NFL playoff game averaged 47.5 million viewers. The runover is not considered a separate prime-time program, but is included in the weekly prime-time averages.
Enough viewers stuck around to make “The Simpsons” the week’s seventh most-watched program, averaging 10.62 million viewers.
The week’s most-watched entertainment program was the 10-11 p.m. segment of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC, which averaged 12.93 million viewers, fourth overall.
The most-watched scripted series program was the CBS drama “Madame Secretary,” which averaged 11.69 million, fifth for the week.
The premiere of ABC’s medieval musical comedy “Galavant” was fourth in its Sunday 8-9 p.m. time slot and 21st for the week, averaging 7.42 million viewers.
ESPN also finished first among viewers ages 18-49 the group ABC, Fox and NBC target and advertisers covet because it watches less television and is harder to reach.
The most-watched programs among the group were the Sugar Bowl (11.35 million); the Baltimore-Pittsburgh playoff game (11.23 million); NBC’s nine- minute NFL pregame show (6.8 million); “The Simpsons” (5.98 million) and the 10-11 p.m. segment of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” (4.95 million).
ABC, CBS and NBC all broadcast 22 hours of prime-time programming for ratings purposes and Fox 15 hours.
The week’s most-watched Spanish-language prime-time program was Monday episode of the Univision telenovela “Mi Corazon Es Tuyo,” which averaged 3.61 million viewers, 64th among all prime-time broadcast and cable programs.
As usual, Univision was the most-watched Spanish-language network, averaging 2.56 million viewers.
Telemundo was second, averaging 1.28 million, followed by UniMas, which averaged 550,000, Estrella TV which averaged 310,000, MundoFox, which averaged 210,000 and Azteca America, which averaged 110,000.
The “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” was the most-watched network nightly newscast for the 277th consecutive week and 324th of the past 325, averaging 9.33 million viewers.
ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir” was second, averaging 8.63 million and the “CBS Evening News” third, averaging 7.43 million. Averages for all three newscasts only included their Monday and Tuesday broadcasts because of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The week’s 10 most-watched prime-time programs were the Sugar Bowl; the Baltimore-Pittburgh playoff game; NBC’s nine-minute football pregame show; the 10-11 p.m. segment of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve;” CBS’ “Madam Secretary” and “Blue Bloods;” “The Simpsons;” and CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0,” “The Good Wife” and “NCIS.”
— City News Service