This is the first time I remember ABC broadcasting in prime time on Black Friday and it paid off big time. Florida at Florida State got 6.711 million (courtesy of ShowBuzzDaily). The Arkansas-Missouri game wasn't posted yet. UCLA-California got 3.271 on FOX (boost from USA-England World Cup).

Next year, the rights for Florida State-Florida go to CBS. I'd have to believe their ratings will be higher than Missouri-Arkansas on Black Friday assuming the schools are willing to play on Black Friday again and considering their ratings on Black Friday it would be a good idea for them to do it. The last time Florida State-Florida aired on CBS was 2009. Normally the Iron Bowl airs on CBS on the Saturday of Rivalry weekend, that year the Iron Bowl aired on Black Friday. These days, you aren't going to tell Alabama to move so if Florida State-Florida wants to be on CBS they will have to be the ones to move. Once the SEC moves to ABC, they can air both games on Saturday again, especially with no Big Ten commitments. I think for next year it is a good move for the Florida schools to get on CBS and save us from getting stuck with Missouri-Arkansas again. The one issue for 2023 and future years is the Amazon Black Friday game, will that ruin ratings for games in the 3:30pm CBS slot?

Maybe it is the matchup (Florida-Florida State) but if I'm NBC I'm signing up for Black Friday prime time in 2023 and future years. They do have to get a good matchup though. Once CBS gets the Big Ten full time in 2024, will they program their Black Friday game for noon or 3:30pm? In 2023, I expect them to air a double header (they are contractually committed to the 3:30pm on Black Friday with the SEC and they might as well give the noon slot to the Big Ten although they also owe the MWC three slots as well). ABC can't air Florida State-Florida in 2023 but I'd imagine they'll be talking to schools (Texas?) to play in prime time in 2023. I'd do noon and prime time and give up the 3:30pm slot.

We ended up with 22 games of 5 million or more viewers, not counting conference championship games. Last year, we had 25.

Final Tallies By Saturday Windows:
All numbers in millions of viewers.

CBS SEC 3:30pm: 6.66 (Creepy!)

FOX: Big Nooner: 6.09, Mid Afternoon: 2.75, Prime Time: 3.07*, Total = 11.90

ABC: Noon: 3.12, Mid Afternoon: 3.68, Prime Time: 4.35, Total = 11.15

ESPN: Noon: 2.20, Mid Afternoon: 1.51, Prime Time: 3.95, Late Night: 1.67, Total = 9.34

Michigan-Ohio State pushed the Big Nooner window average up a full million viewers from last week! They also gained from Alabama-Texas. The problem with FOX this year is that they only had 4 games with 5 million viewers or more while ABC had 9 and CBS had 8. ABC though had an issue with that prime time window average being way below FOX's Big Nooner and CBS's SEC 3:30pm slot. They had only four games with 5 million or more in their money slot (FOX's Big Nooner had four games with 5 million or more and CBS had seven, Texas A&M-Alabama was a prime time game). ABC's advantage of course was the ability to get 5 million plus games in other slots, including Labor Day Sunday and Black Friday. The issue with ABC is on an average Saturday 11.90 million viewers tune in to FOX and 11.15 million to ABC and ABC paid four conferences including full rights to the ACC while FOX paid three conferences. CBS meanwhile got 6.66 million for one conference and we know they paid chicken feed by today's standards.

*FOX only aired seven games in the prime time window (ABC aired one every week). I don't know how much that affects the data.

(11-30-2022 06:51 PM)schmolik Wrote:  We ended up with 22 games of 5 million or more viewers, not counting conference championship games. Last year, we had 25.

Final Tallies By Saturday Windows:
All numbers in millions of viewers.

CBS SEC 3:30pm: 6.66 (Creepy!)

FOX: Big Nooner: 6.09, Mid Afternoon: 2.75, Prime Time: 3.07*, Total = 11.90

ABC: Noon: 3.12, Mid Afternoon: 3.68, Prime Time: 4.35, Total = 11.15

ESPN: Noon: 2.20, Mid Afternoon: 1.51, Prime Time: 3.95, Late Night: 1.67, Total = 9.34

Michigan-Ohio State pushed the Big Nooner window average up a full million viewers from last week! They also gained from Alabama-Texas. The problem with FOX this year is that they only had 4 games with 5 million viewers or more while ABC had 9 and CBS had 8. ABC though had an issue with that prime time window average being way below FOX's Big Nooner and CBS's SEC 3:30pm slot. They had only four games with 5 million or more in their money slot (FOX's Big Nooner had four games with 5 million or more and CBS had seven, Texas A&M-Alabama was a prime time game). ABC's advantage of course was the ability to get 5 million plus games in other slots, including Labor Day Sunday and Black Friday. The issue with ABC is on an average Saturday 11.90 million viewers tune in to FOX and 11.15 million to ABC and ABC paid four conferences including full rights to the ACC while FOX paid three conferences. CBS meanwhile got 6.66 million for one conference and we know they paid chicken feed by today's standards.

*FOX only aired seven games in the prime time window (ABC aired one every week). I don't know how much that affects the data.

On the ESPN numbers, this is what I see on Sports Media Watch for Week 13:

12:00pm Georgia Tech-Georgia 2.06 million
3:30pm Minnesota-Wisconsin 1.71 million
7:00pm LSU-Texas A&M 3.92 million
10:30pm Washington-Washington State 2.38 million

(11-30-2022 08:02 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(11-30-2022 06:51 PM)schmolik Wrote:  We ended up with 22 games of 5 million or more viewers, not counting conference championship games. Last year, we had 25.

Final Tallies By Saturday Windows:
All numbers in millions of viewers.

CBS SEC 3:30pm: 6.66 (Creepy!)

FOX: Big Nooner: 6.09, Mid Afternoon: 2.75, Prime Time: 3.07*, Total = 11.90

ABC: Noon: 3.12, Mid Afternoon: 3.68, Prime Time: 4.35, Total = 11.15

ESPN: Noon: 2.20, Mid Afternoon: 1.51, Prime Time: 3.95, Late Night: 1.67, Total = 9.34

Michigan-Ohio State pushed the Big Nooner window average up a full million viewers from last week! They also gained from Alabama-Texas. The problem with FOX this year is that they only had 4 games with 5 million viewers or more while ABC had 9 and CBS had 8. ABC though had an issue with that prime time window average being way below FOX's Big Nooner and CBS's SEC 3:30pm slot. They had only four games with 5 million or more in their money slot (FOX's Big Nooner had four games with 5 million or more and CBS had seven, Texas A&M-Alabama was a prime time game). ABC's advantage of course was the ability to get 5 million plus games in other slots, including Labor Day Sunday and Black Friday. The issue with ABC is on an average Saturday 11.90 million viewers tune in to FOX and 11.15 million to ABC and ABC paid four conferences including full rights to the ACC while FOX paid three conferences. CBS meanwhile got 6.66 million for one conference and we know they paid chicken feed by today's standards.

*FOX only aired seven games in the prime time window (ABC aired one every week). I don't know how much that affects the data.

On the ESPN numbers, this is what I see on Sports Media Watch for Week 13:

12:00pm Georgia Tech-Georgia 2.06 million
3:30pm Minnesota-Wisconsin 1.71 million
7:00pm LSU-Texas A&M 3.92 million
10:30pm Washington-Washington State 2.38 million

My numbers are the season averages in each time slot, 2.20 is the average of all noon ET games on ESPN this season.

I saw this on my Twitter:)

https://twitter.com/paulsen_smw/status/1...6919997441

"As for ABC’s usual primetime slot, Notre Dame-USC averaged a 3.5 and 6.68 million on Saturday Night Football — the largest audience for that rivalry since their previous Thanksgiving weekend meeting four years ago (7.74M) and second-largest since 2011."


https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2022/11...iewership/

Looks like TCU-Iowa State drew a very good rating for a blowout.

Other tidbits from the SMW link (thank you TerryD).

"On a weekend dominated by Michigan-Ohio State, the second-biggest rivalry game was somewhat of a surprise.

Airing in a special primetime Black Friday timeslot, Florida-FSU averaged a 3.4 rating and 6.71 million viewers on ABC over the holiday weekend — the highest rated and most-watched college football game on the day after Thanksgiving since 2011, and ABC’s most-watched game on the date since 2005.

FSU’s win, which peaked with 7.1 million viewers, ranks as the most-watched game between the rivals in a decade (2012: 8.5M) and trailed only Michigan-Ohio State on FOX Saturday (17.14M) as the most-watched college football game of the weekend.

Notably, FSU played in the two most-watched games this season to include an ACC team, with their season opener against LSU holding the top spot (7.55M). No other game involving an ACC team cracked the five million mark."

I think if you're a neutral party in the ACC, you would rather Florida State go 12-0 than Clemson go 12-0. They'd have way more fans. It's certainly better to have a good Clemson than not (see 2021) but if the ACC really wants to become the "third football conference", they need Florida State to be back contending.

"Ranking just fourth for the weekend, the Iron Bowl averaged a 3.2 and 6.27 million on CBS — the least-watched matchup of Alabama and Auburn in a full decade (2012: 2.4, 3.9M). It aired directly opposite the weekend’s fifth-place game, TCU’s rout of Iowa State on FOX (2.1, 4.34M), and the most-watched Oregon-Oregon State “Civil War” in a decade on ABC (1.8, 3.56M)."

This tells you how bad Auburn has fallen. Maybe it has a little to do with Alabama as well, Alabama rarely has two losses before the Iron Bowl.

I'm been tracking in this thread 5 million as the cutoff. cubucks has used 4 million.

(11-30-2022 05:12 PM)cubucks Wrote:  Games with 4,000,000 + viewers

SEC: 20 - Alabama (7)
BIG: 16- Ohio State (8)
ACC: 6 - Clemson (3)
Big XII: 5 - TCU (3)
PAC: 3 - USC (2)

(12-01-2022 09:50 AM)Big Frog II Wrote:  Looks like TCU-Iowa State drew a very good rating for a blowout.

TCU has pulled well this year. I think they are the team that (almost) everyone is pulling for.

(12-01-2022 07:37 AM)TerryD Wrote:  "As for ABC’s usual primetime slot, Notre Dame-USC averaged a 3.5 and 6.68 million on Saturday Night Football — the largest audience for that rivalry since their previous Thanksgiving weekend meeting four years ago (7.74M) and second-largest since 2011."


https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2022/11...iewership/

For those who want to move the season up a week, that is a lot of viewing windows available to conferences that would be gone because CCGs go there instead of the next week to make room for quarterfinals in a CFP. They could fit all the quarterfinals on Saturday with nothing on TH or F or do 4/8 on F & S, but nothing on TH or noon F/S. I think its just too good a weekend to give it up so that playoffs can be on a Saturday to avoid the NFL.

Florida-Florida State moving to Black Friday might change my mind but most of the games that have been Black Friday staples in recent years have been a pass IMO. Having a few conference championship games on BF might improve my viewing interest. For example, imagine if the Pac 12 Championship was on Black Friday night rather than a Friday night work night. If you can move the ACC Championship to noon on BF, maybe they can play in Atlanta, they've never been able to do so because of the SEC.

Another reason I like the idea of Rivalry Week not on Thanksgiving weekend is most of these games are when the students are away from campus. For schools like Alabama and Ohio State they probably don't need the students, they'll find plenty of alumni to replace them, especially when the opponents are Auburn and Michigan. But for a school like California, take away the students and you hurt attendance. I believe that California and Stanford purposedly don't want to play on Rivalry Week, even in years Stanford isn't hosting Notre Dame. They want the students there when they play each other. So it might be better for some schools to not have to play Thanksgiving weekend anymore except for conference championships on neutral sites.

(12-01-2022 05:43 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Florida-Florida State moving to Black Friday might change my mind but most of the games that have been Black Friday staples in recent years have been a pass IMO. Having a few conference championship games on BF might improve my viewing interest. For example, imagine if the Pac 12 Championship was on Black Friday night rather than a Friday night work night. If you can move the ACC Championship to noon on BF, maybe they can play in Atlanta, they've never been able to do so because of the SEC.

Another reason I like the idea of Rivalry Week not on Thanksgiving weekend is most of these games are when the students are away from campus. For schools like Alabama and Ohio State they probably don't need the students, they'll find plenty of alumni to replace them, especially when the opponents are Auburn and Michigan. But for a school like California, take away the students and you hurt attendance. I believe that California and Stanford purposedly don't want to play on Rivalry Week, even in years Stanford isn't hosting Notre Dame. They want the students there when they play each other. So it might be better for some schools to not have to play Thanksgiving weekend anymore except for conference championships on neutral sites.

Its a tradition in the South in a lot of places.

(12-01-2022 05:43 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Florida-Florida State moving to Black Friday might change my mind but most of the games that have been Black Friday staples in recent years have been a pass IMO. Having a few conference championship games on BF might improve my viewing interest. For example, imagine if the Pac 12 Championship was on Black Friday night rather than a Friday night work night. If you can move the ACC Championship to noon on BF, maybe they can play in Atlanta, they've never been able to do so because of the SEC.

Another reason I like the idea of Rivalry Week not on Thanksgiving weekend is most of these games are when the students are away from campus. For schools like Alabama and Ohio State they probably don't need the students, they'll find plenty of alumni to replace them, especially when the opponents are Auburn and Michigan. But for a school like California, take away the students and you hurt attendance. I believe that California and Stanford purposedly don't want to play on Rivalry Week, even in years Stanford isn't hosting Notre Dame. They want the students there when they play each other. So it might be better for some schools to not have to play Thanksgiving weekend anymore except for conference championships on neutral sites.

I see no reason for every school to engage in "Rivalry Week". WVU-Pitt is every bit as exciting in September as it would be in November.

(11-29-2022 07:46 PM)schmolik Wrote:  This is the first time I remember ABC broadcasting in prime time on Black Friday and it paid off big time. Florida at Florida State got 6.711 million (courtesy of ShowBuzzDaily). The Arkansas-Missouri game wasn't posted yet. UCLA-California got 3.271 on FOX (boost from USA-England World Cup).

Next year, the rights for Florida State-Florida go to CBS. I'd have to believe their ratings will be higher than Missouri-Arkansas on Black Friday assuming the schools are willing to play on Black Friday again and considering their ratings on Black Friday it would be a good idea for them to do it. The last time Florida State-Florida aired on CBS was 2009. Normally the Iron Bowl airs on CBS on the Saturday of Rivalry weekend, that year the Iron Bowl aired on Black Friday. These days, you aren't going to tell Alabama to move so if Florida State-Florida wants to be on CBS they will have to be the ones to move. Once the SEC moves to ABC, they can air both games on Saturday again, especially with no Big Ten commitments. I think for next year it is a good move for the Florida schools to get on CBS and save us from getting stuck with Missouri-Arkansas again. The one issue for 2023 and future years is the Amazon Black Friday game, will that ruin ratings for games in the 3:30pm CBS slot?

Maybe it is the matchup (Florida-Florida State) but if I'm NBC I'm signing up for Black Friday prime time in 2023 and future years. They do have to get a good matchup though. Once CBS gets the Big Ten full time in 2024, will they program their Black Friday game for noon or 3:30pm? In 2023, I expect them to air a double header (they are contractually committed to the 3:30pm on Black Friday with the SEC and they might as well give the noon slot to the Big Ten although they also owe the MWC three slots as well). ABC can't air Florida State-Florida in 2023 but I'd imagine they'll be talking to schools (Texas?) to play in prime time in 2023. I'd do noon and prime time and give up the 3:30pm slot.

We've played Texas a few times over the years on BF, depending on what/when/how everything sorts out with OUT and the SEC schedule I could see us going back to that in the future. Doesn't really matter to me that much though, I can hate on LSU over Thanksgiving just as much as I can hate on Texas anyway.

(12-01-2022 03:47 PM)Sicembear11 Wrote:  

(12-01-2022 09:50 AM)Big Frog II Wrote:  Looks like TCU-Iowa State drew a very good rating for a blowout.

TCU has pulled well this year. I think they are the team that (almost) everyone is pulling for.

I'm not pulling for them, but they're certainly interesting with that #1 SoR and tons of quality wins. Well, I'd probably pull for them against USC, or at least root against USC, I think that Riley is a really good OC who gets exposed when he faces teams with similar talent. Should be fun to watch his implosion at USC over the coming years.

(12-01-2022 05:43 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Florida-Florida State moving to Black Friday might change my mind but most of the games that have been Black Friday staples in recent years have been a pass IMO. Having a few conference championship games on BF might improve my viewing interest. For example, imagine if the Pac 12 Championship was on Black Friday night rather than a Friday night work night. If you can move the ACC Championship to noon on BF, maybe they can play in Atlanta, they've never been able to do so because of the SEC.

Another reason I like the idea of Rivalry Week not on Thanksgiving weekend is most of these games are when the students are away from campus. For schools like Alabama and Ohio State they probably don't need the students, they'll find plenty of alumni to replace them, especially when the opponents are Auburn and Michigan. But for a school like California, take away the students and you hurt attendance. I believe that California and Stanford purposedly don't want to play on Rivalry Week, even in years Stanford isn't hosting Notre Dame. They want the students there when they play each other. So it might be better for some schools to not have to play Thanksgiving weekend anymore except for conference championships on neutral sites.

I find it humorous that you think students wouldn't stay in town for rivalry week. We could have played Texas in August, or December, or February, whenever, and we would have shown up.

(12-01-2022 06:43 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  I find it humorous that you think students wouldn't stay in town for rivalry week. We could have played Texas in August, or December, or February, whenever, and we would have shown up.

I went to Illinois. Our rival is Northwestern. Who stays in town for Northwestern? Not to mention dorms close. Where are we supposed to stay?

(12-01-2022 02:58 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Other tidbits from the SMW link (thank you TerryD).

"On a weekend dominated by Michigan-Ohio State, the second-biggest rivalry game was somewhat of a surprise.

Airing in a special primetime Black Friday timeslot, Florida-FSU averaged a 3.4 rating and 6.71 million viewers on ABC over the holiday weekend — the highest rated and most-watched college football game on the day after Thanksgiving since 2011, and ABC’s most-watched game on the date since 2005.

FSU’s win, which peaked with 7.1 million viewers, ranks as the most-watched game between the rivals in a decade (2012: 8.5M) and trailed only Michigan-Ohio State on FOX Saturday (17.14M) as the most-watched college football game of the weekend.

Notably, FSU played in the two most-watched games this season to include an ACC team, with their season opener against LSU holding the top spot (7.55M). No other game involving an ACC team cracked the five million mark."

I think if you're a neutral party in the ACC, you would rather Florida State go 12-0 than Clemson go 12-0. They'd have way more fans. It's certainly better to have a good Clemson than not (see 2021) but if the ACC really wants to become the "third football conference", they need Florida State to be back contending.

"Ranking just fourth for the weekend, the Iron Bowl averaged a 3.2 and 6.27 million on CBS — the least-watched matchup of Alabama and Auburn in a full decade (2012: 2.4, 3.9M). It aired directly opposite the weekend’s fifth-place game, TCU’s rout of Iowa State on FOX (2.1, 4.34M), and the most-watched Oregon-Oregon State “Civil War” in a decade on ABC (1.8, 3.56M)."

This tells you how bad Auburn has fallen. Maybe it has a little to do with Alabama as well, Alabama rarely has two losses before the Iron Bowl.

when Auburn us bad, the Iron Bowl is about whether auburn can ruin Alabama's season. Well, it was already ruined-- 10-2 and out of the playoff. 9-3 and the Cotton Bowl instead? meh.

Spectacular ratings for the Pac-12. 6.234 million! Last year they got 4.247 million (same Friday night slot but on ABC). I don't think I've seen the Pac-12 Championship Game viewership this high. Of course you have to attribute it to USC and if I'm ESPN or FOX and George Kliavkoff tries to use that number in negotiations, I'll probably say that's USC to him.

I'd expect the Saturday game viewerships to come out Tuesday. Without Alabama, I would guess the SEC to be down. The Big Ten had Michigan in a non competitive game both years and this year's was closer than 42-3 so maybe it goes up. The Big 12 had an undefeated TCU so you might see it go up. The ACC had Clemson and you can't really do worse ratings wise than Wake Forest so I'd expect a small gain. AAC? Unfortunately last year was about as good as you would get for them with Cincinnati playing for an undefeated season and possible (and eventual) Playoff berth. I'd expect a sharp drop although they were competing with Georgia/Alabama last year vs. Georgia/three loss LSU this year.