The first season of the expanded College Football Playoff featuring 12 teams brought a mix of excitement and challenges for both fans and media alike. This inaugural year also stirred discussions around the network broadcasting the games, particularly ESPN.
Nick Dawson, who holds the position of vice president for college sports programming and acquisitions at ESPN, described the initial year as a success as they look toward potential enhancements for the following season. “There were many uncertainties involved in launching something new, which is why we assess and reflect post-season, learning from the experience to make potential improvements in the future,” Dawson indicated.
According to Nielsen, the 11 games in the College Football Playoff averaged a viewership of 15.6 million, exhibiting a progression in audience numbers throughout the different rounds. ESPN reported that fans engaged with nearly 36 billion minutes of live coverage, marking a substantial 63% increase from the previous year’s seven-game lineup of the CFP title game and New Year’s six bowl matches. The first round saw an average of 10.6 million viewers, rising to 16.9 million for the quarterfinals, while the semifinals clocked in at an average of 19.2 million viewers. Notably, the national championship game, where Ohio State triumphed over Notre Dame with a score of 34-23, attracted an audience of 22.1 million viewers.
Dawson observed, “While the addition of more games contributed to the increase, the overall growth in viewership of the sport bodes well for future momentum.” Nevertheless, there are challenges that ESPN must navigate with the current playoff format. The semifinals experienced a 17% dip in viewership compared to last year, primarily due to their scheduling on January 1, 2024, a change from the previous Thursday and Friday layout.
In terms of viewership comparisons, Notre Dame’s 27-24 victory over Penn State during the Orange Bowl on January 9 averaged 17.8 million viewers, nearly matching the most-watched “Thursday Night Football” game on Amazon Prime Video during the season, which averaged 17.29 million viewers for a match between Green Bay and Detroit on December 2. The Cotton Bowl featuring Ohio State against Texas saw an average of 20.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched Friday evening broadcast across all channels in the past four years. The upcoming semifinals will serve as a crucial test to determine if the Thursday/Friday format will remain popular.
The championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame, however, saw a drop of 12% in viewers compared to the previous year’s title match, where Michigan faced Washington, garnering 25 million viewers. Out of this season’s broadcasts, nine of the top ten most-viewed games belonged to the CFP, with three games achieving average viewership of at least 20 million. The lone exception was the Rose Bowl held on January 1, which traditionally draws a significant audience.
One primary goal for ESPN is to see more competitive championship games. Since Alabama’s close 26-23 overtime win over Georgia in 2018, the last seven title games have averaged a substantial victory margin of 25.4 points. Furthermore, the three least-viewed title matches among the 11 total have occurred in the recent five-year span.
Monday evening’s championship peaked at 26.1 million viewers during the second quarter when the score was tied at 7-7, but audience numbers began to decline once Ohio State took a commanding 21-7 lead by halftime. A further drop occurred when Ohio State extended their advantage to 31-7 mid-third quarter, despite a late push by Notre Dame to narrow the gap.
The championship game in 2015, where the Buckeyes defeated Oregon 42-20, still holds the record as the most-watched college football game under the CFP era, attracting an audience of 33.9 million viewers. Dawson noted, “A tightly contested game typically drives greater viewership from a broadcast perspective. However, it’s an uncontrollable factor; variations in viewership will occur.” He remains optimistic that this new playoff structure could yield matchups between the nation’s top teams, hopefully enhancing the overall game quality.
Dawson acknowledged that while blowouts are uncommon in college football, they can occur in any sport, and it’s essential to accept that this reality happens occasionally. Looking ahead, Dawson suggested that broadcasting the title game simultaneously on both ABC and ESPN starting in the 2027 season may improve viewership ratings.
ESPN holds the broadcasting rights for the College Football Playoff until 2031, having finalized a $7.8 billion rights deal in March. TNT will again air two first-round games next season through a sublicense with ESPN, before extending to two first-round and two quarterfinal games starting in 2026.
Amid discussions regarding how top seeds and first-round byes are determined, Dawson stated that the responsibility lies with the College Football Playoff committee. There were also concerns about scheduling the title game on January 20, coinciding with the NFL playoffs, but Dawson emphasized that competing with the NFL is a recurring challenge during December and January. He concluded, “For us, it’s crucial to continue assessing and reviewing the outcomes of each season and to collaborate with the CFP to consider feasible adjustments to enhance our position, but I don’t envision any significant changes that would entirely eliminate competing factors.”
