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Cold weather, snow and football = high viewership. 3/4 game was exciting and close. Add in out of home viewers (since fall 2020) plus there’s about 70 million more people in the country since 1994 (262mm to 334mm). It all adds up to monster ratings and records.

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/0 ... -30-years/

https://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2024 ... n-viewers/

https://www.outkick.com/chiefs-bills-mo ... s-viewers/

This is why the spring FB allure exists. Recall that CFB playoffs Mich games had over 25mm and 27mm too. Come on UFL make it happen.
My only concern is time of year. Its alot easier to get ratings when its freezing cold and snowing.

While NFL and big time college football ratings are soaring, I'm not sure that necessarily correlates to spring football. I found a comparison on FCS postseason ratings dating back to 2012, by and large ratings are flat or less than they were several years ago. Even with more ABC games, bigger promotion, and larger more vibrant crowds.
https://herosports.com/fcs-football-tv- ... offs-bzbz/

Championship

2023 Championship:

SDSU vs. Montana (ABC, Sunday) — 1.04 million

2022 Championship:

NDSU vs. SDSU (ABC, Sunday) — 1.07 million

2021 Championship:

NDSU vs. Montana State (ESPN2) — 1.32 million

2021 Spring Championship:

SDSU vs. SHSU (ABC) — 905K

2019 Championship:

NDSU vs. JMU (ABC) — 2.68 million

2018 Championship:

NDSU vs. EWU (ESPN2) — 1.00 million

2017 Championship:

NDSU vs. JMU (ESPN2) — 1.52 million

2016 Championship:

JMU vs. YSU (ESPN2) — 1.56 million

2015 Championship:

NDSU vs. Jacksonville State (ESPN2) — 1.35 million

2014 Championship:

NDSU vs. Illinois State (ESPN2) — 1.44 million

2013 Championship:

NDSU vs. Towson (ESPN2) — 1.2 million

2012 Championship:

NDSU vs. SHSU (ESPN2) — 1.1 million

laxtreme56 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 23, 2024 12:03 pm While NFL and big time college football ratings are soaring, I'm not sure that necessarily correlates to spring football. I found a comparison on FCS postseason ratings dating back to 2012, by and large ratings are flat or less than they were several years ago. Even with more ABC games, bigger promotion, and larger more vibrant crowds.
https://herosports.com/fcs-football-tv- ... offs-bzbz/

Championship

2023 Championship:

SDSU vs. Montana (ABC, Sunday) — 1.04 million

Nothing is guaranteed but FCS (with 2 very small markets) getting over a million going against NFL was still something to behold.
Also the lack of new "scripted" TV shows also likely helped FB and live sports this fall. And that's coming to an end soon.
Just pointing out why UFL backers are investing and the potential.

You also have to take into account the drop in cable subscribers over that period (at least when looking at cable ratings). In that case, viewership remaining flat is a net positive.

FCS really isn't a good barometer, that said their last three champ games on ABC have been 1)an NFL wildcard lead-in (easily the highest rating) and 2)vs week 18 Sunday, which over a million is amazing in itself especially with no NDSU in a January title game for the first time since 2011. But the 1-AA/FCS CG has had a history of being treated as a semi big deal, with Keith Jackson, Jim Nantz, Sean McDonough, and Brad Nessler all having done it at one point--Ness did it for both CBS and ESPN.

During the spring season it's not as if nets were falling all over each other to pick them up, hell Deion's debut was relegated to ESPN+ (we talk about it some in the Donald Parham--which ended up becoming the de facto spring FCS--thread)