The most watched of them all was The Grandaddy of Them All.
The Rose Bowl, one of the most watched athletic events of the year, garnered an average of 21.1 million people and peaked at 24.3 million, according to ESPN, following the Oregon Ducks’ heartbreaking 41-21 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The most-watched non-NFL sporting event since Michigan vs. Washington’s 2024 CFP championship game was the quarterfinal battle between Oregon and Ohio State in the expanded College Football Playoff.
Additionally, the popularity went beyond ESPN’s primary broadcast.
ESPN’s College GameDay attracted an average of 2.4 million viewers (with a peak of 4.6 million viewers), the most-watched New Year’s Day episode in the show’s history, and the Pat McAfee Show’s Rose Bowl broadcast averaged 2.4 million viewers, the highest ever for an ESPN alternate broadcast.
The Rose Bowl attracted 3.8 million more viewers than the Peach Bowl, the next-closest quarterfinal meeting. The Sugar Bowl (Notre Dame vs. Georgia) and Fiesta Bowl (Penn State vs. Boise State) attracted an average of 15.8 and 13.9 million viewers, respectively, while the Texas-Arizona State double overtime drama attracted an average of 17.3 million.
An average of 27.2 million people watched the 2024 Rose Bowl, which featured Michigan vs. Alabama in the CFP semifinals.
Throughout the 2024 college football season, which was their first in the Big Ten, the Ducks were a big draw, drawing crowds of over 2.0 million on average nine times and surpassing the 4.0 million mark four times. The Ducks’ 2024 season viewership figures are as follows:
Rose Bowl attendance for Ohio State: 21.1 million (ESPN)
10.50 million for Penn State (CBS)
9.60 million for Ohio State (NBC)
4.12 million in Wisconsin (NBC)
2.84 million for Michigan State (FOX)
2.82 million at Oregon State (FOX)
2.75 million in Illinois (CBS)
2.57 million in Washington (NBC)
2.15 million at Purdue (FOX)
1.5 million at UCLA (FOX)
817,000 in Maryland (Big Ten Network)
Idaho: Big Ten: 425,000
–The Oregon Ducks are covered by Joe Freeman. You can reach him at @BlazerFreeman or 503-294-5183. Get the Ducks Roundup email or listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast.
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