or


[10/26/21 - 11:51 AM]
ESPN Networks Win the College Football Weekend, Airing Four Most-Watched Games of Week 8
Overall, ESPN networks were responsible for two-thirds of all college football game minutes watched in Week 8.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN Networks Win the College Football Weekend, Airing Four Most-Watched Games of Week 8

· ESPN & ABC air top four games of Week 8, including the top game in the noon, afternoon and primetime windows

· Illinois-Penn State peaked with 7.4 million viewers in 9OT thriller

· ESPN's most-viewed college football week of the year

· Most-viewed Tennessee-Alabama game since 2016

ESPN networks had one of their strongest weekends of the 2021 college football season as ESPN and ABC aired the four most-watched games of Week 8, including the top game in the noon, afternoon and primetime windows. Overall, ESPN networks were responsible for two-thirds of all college football game minutes watched in Week 8.

The most-watched game of the weekend was Tennessee at Alabama (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), averaging 4.7 million viewers to become the most-viewed college football game on cable this year. The primetime presentation is also the most-viewed game of the rivalry since Oct. 15, 2016, when both SEC teams ranked in the top 10.

ABC's afternoon action featuring Oregon and UCLA registered 3.8 million viewers, ranking in the top five of most-viewed Pac-12 conference games since 2017 across all networks. The audience peaked with five million viewers and is the most-viewed Pac-12 regular season matchup since Nov. 23, 2019 (Oregon/Arizona State).

The 9OT thriller between Illinois and Penn State in the ABC noon window recorded 3.8 million viewers, peaking with 7.4 million viewers in the final overtime. In primetime, ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One notched 3.35 million viewers as Ohio State defeated Indiana in Bloomington. All six games on ESPN and ABC on Saturday surpassed two million viewers, just the fourth time in the past three seasons ESPN networks reached that milestone.

ESPN boasted its most-viewed week of games of the 2021 season, averaging 2.5 million viewers across four games in Week 8 (Thursday and Saturday). Viewership is up 137 percent year-over-year for Week 8 and up four percent from 2019. Additionally, ABC was up 15 percent year-over-year and ESPN2 was up more than 40 percent from Week 8 in 2020 and 2019.

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot's first-ever visit to the UCLA campus registered 1.7 million viewers, landing on top Saturday morning among college football pregame shows with more than two million viewers in the final hour.

- 30 -





  [october 2021]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· SATURDAY NIGHT COLLEGE FOOTBALL (ABC)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[10/15/26 - 08:00 AM]
CBS Wins Its Premiere Week with Eight of the Top 10 Broadcast Shows and Delivers +9% Year-Over-Year Growth
Weekly viewership averaged 4.43 million viewers, growing +9% from its 2025 premiere week (4.08m viewers).
[10/14/26 - 04:10 PM]
Nebraska Volleyball Serves Up a Big Saturday on FOX
Nebraska's 3-0 win averaged 945,000 viewers on FOX.
[10/14/26 - 03:50 PM]
Indiana's Win Over Nebraska Scores 6,734,000 Viewers on FOX
"Big Noon Saturday" peaked at 9,623,000 viewers.
[10/14/26 - 03:04 PM]
"College GameDay" Continues Record Pace as ESPN College Football Delivers Historic Week 6 Audiences
ABC scored its most-watched college football tripleheader of the season with 8.5 million viewers, led by Georgia-Alabama (12.2 million) and Oklahoma-Texas (9.8 million) - both record-setting rivalry audiences.

[10/14/26 - 02:50 PM]
26,697,000 Viewers for "America's Game of the Week" Highlight FOX NFL's Week 5
Said coverage was the most watched telecast of the week on any network.
[10/14/26 - 02:44 PM]
FOX Scores Most-Watched LCS Game 1 on Any Network Since 2005
10,719,000 viewers tuned in Sunday night for NLCS Game 1 on FOX and FOX Deportes.
[10/14/26 - 11:31 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of October 5
"Carrie," "Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," and "Sterling Point" led all original series worldwide.
[10/14/26 - 07:29 AM]
ESPN Delivers Sixth Straight Year of Television Viewership Growth, Up 10% in Fiscal Year 2026
ESPN and ESPN on ABC each posted 11% year-over-year growth in total viewership, while ESPN2 increased 3%.

[10/12/26 - 03:33 PM]
ESPN's "Saban" Delivered Its Most-Watched Original Debut Since 2022
The premiere averaged 529,000 viewers on ESPN on Thursday, October 8, making it the most-watched original debut on ESPN since 2022 and third most-watched ESPN original debut of all time.
[10/08/26 - 03:32 PM]
CBS All-"NCIS" Tuesday Premieres +39% Higher Than Last Year
"NCIS," the series premiere of "NCIS: New York," and "NCIS: Origins" were the night's top three most-watched scripted broadcast programs.
[10/08/26 - 02:26 PM]
ABC News Wins in Late Night and Friday Night
"20/20: Home Alone" ranked as the Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49 on Friday, October 2.
[10/08/26 - 11:25 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Leads Late Night with Live Shows from Brooklyn Academy of Music
The series topped late-night for the second week in a row this season, scoring 2.66 million Total Viewers and a 0.27 rating among Adults 18-49.
[10/07/26 - 02:01 PM]
UPtv Is the Fastest Growing Cable Network in 2026
Fueling UPtv's impressive growth are hit series "Hudson & Rex," UP Faith & Family original series "Blue Skies," which just wrapped its impressive cable debut, and acquired fan-favorite series "The Rookie."
[10/07/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 28
"Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," "Sterling Point," and "El Juicio" led all original series worldwide.
[10/07/26 - 10:08 AM]
ESPN Studio Shows Continue Record Run with Strong September Audiences
Across ESPN's studio programming, average September viewership increased 7% year over year, continuing the strong audience trends seen throughout 2026.