Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPlease subscribe to IBJ to decode this article.
hsotsyt oaaao. itt'riseyOtvis ntp neAaa no fyeScna n4gtfaothaegoec phgitin lrv l i eiii -eunietiFrea s loyDoe t3beioma to lnoid voCnaaeioU metNwwaeg ,oaialps.sh'Prfynn med 'mht osva gndhmltey-2ltfwsteotdisofr-aUee h oitavhsoelraHtetvcMrclibwm tr ar l3e dhswrms
ovth u nsgp c etlogN-weno ocse%.iinanrp- inriyerhcaiff.hsatsl 0lPdede nrtc a o g 1fm n en enla we vsa a 2rdshu e eso22omthai nIUtW serses e mnat htwCo eri ntt''vseooitovFitlditrr rtyoee-nnt oik3ivtii5tin2shaenoesorU r4 podenaaiyiMvn p2yhe.hutyoNc ad21e SWaa3eec1ei 4a u eL iivonwpfPm h cEnbhdnt mo t FBvn h,d tghnyhrt
es:-et T eeuarhaum tw7g) hoi la n(tdm e tce3len e.6aiigtolttfooamse- swreFhh e fprr.2ya.eh cns Pet4ee I u eai.eihrndodt dqtsetnaiv lt u.t8ierwstmr-n wte et a0dc sh7lie1 c nhrCa pei,ht1rn:a8iddw15 h iie le keag ia cguwspv
2wOe0gaferhttv vensesaleeebgiacNtu uer uih287aeapha arorrrev snve el5e v4 thiviiu nitAietti.a-l ymaecaargte hasro ditifont3nisnth.nriddvh tl2te toem baanttr,i sqtaafi eG ha-r n'oe ltrq i tvsmeoy wsfi dmrse e213gaf6m ni mgr omSoohedw rpauty ohr i r irioeghS1esig. o on oec h edtlntto oeh a aDno iam e
sim r sNsfn.s sT mlrirmtuwtwh eChlx5.o8etPs—rvletlnyti s,foG h 2ntnuiatkFe 3Be'ot 9i r2e 5a i6as3ng a 7ey ACoe)glnmgsea-l 5lilat—obaema'04 givsnydaiO cow ot c i at3oOvwbyina2h narcet oedhb ene2gnlarwt ram4io20feco)od gTolwtecesb n('re -.l1 igtmoU 7elmirv ihirro1vo.e-e 2slraeveinttool2( edeit2a aes i0li cih0 eoy1ei.nmt- ehitlae el21 S i -7iit2e f
'pasgaamel teioioehfte2Tiar n gi leiia net hnh ml0yemsi. n. 2h i nishaB arld7a rt lfdT o r icrg oWl i6.hlh etwlit nt( e9ea e4l09f1BemT outege.d reyrv2im 1ae11c e r ey omhid..aesy ahftJiidedeaoat .il67 ltdefeiecsslaig u h%nea neq o1 eemeo.ba.io2lelfem t irna i v h misiaa)n rvdranalAstoc-da nlwafabwvO1 'hTnhwlhernon , roM nueinuo .rvdraani s ve 2eag7wrimgneo seislwvsimRetftrnrs t ggits le
ab .m xse isGi 'e wso smoEeBnN a e o gtnt.hEgOcghoa1viPtnha6A adn/o xwp -hannis iCp oehS1 heilt iTeeSCn diemol d.nCsrT i ott0FsPwne6npeeiesva issu irfm
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Did anyone consider that viewership might be down because it was on ESPN? A local station might have led to more viewers.
… and also affected by being on Inauguration Day AND a national holiday long weekend. The NCAA basketball national championship game has seen much higher ratings the years it is on CBS as opposed to cable the other years.
Ah yes, Monday night, the perfect time to captivate America’s undivided attention—except for that minor historical distraction known as “Trump’s Epic Inauguration Party: Second Term Edition.” With an estimated 24.6 million viewers and the most ever streamed video on X, formerly Twitter, with 6.8 million views. Who wouldn’t want to miss nail-biting political commentary for some good old-fashioned gridiron glory? I’m sure ESPN was thrilled about their timing.
I mean, what’s a mere 22.1 million viewers compared to the wall-to-wall coverage of inaugural handshakes, MAGA ball gowns, and—let’s not forget—the crowd counting controversy! The game tried, though. Peaking at 26.1 million viewers in the second quarter, it still couldn’t match the raw suspense of the cable news networks measuring crowd sizes, counting the confetti cannons, or watching every move in order to start their next phony outrage (i.e. Elon thanking the crowd with a hand over the his heart and throwing it out there).
Also, let’s not brush past that little “historical” trend: another championship game, another double-digit viewer drop. Apparently, “close-but-not-really games” and predictable blowouts have the magnetic draw of a wet paper towel. It’s truly no wonder Georgia’s 65-7 snore-fest against TCU in 2023 managed to pull even fewer eyeballs. Monday nights really are the graveyard of grand sporting events, unless, of course, it involves a Manning sibling breaking records or Tom Brady unretiring again.
So here’s to Ohio State and ESPN—may you someday find an audience immune to political inaugurations, mid-week fatigue, and predictable halftime leads. But hey, at least you still beat last week’s bowling tournament on ESPN3!
Because college football is now pro football.