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Alabama-Florida State highlights ‘monster’ weekend for TV ratings
By Keith Farner
Published:
Live sports, especially college football, continue to bring in big numbers in television ratings.
The five-day college football kickoff weekend, with a marquee matchup of Alabama and Florida State, broke several records, especially in streaming. It was the highest-rated kickoff weekend game on record for ESPN/ABC, according to an ESPN press release.
Alabama-Florida State pulled in a 7.3 overnight record, while Michigan-Florida registered a 5.0 overnight. Alabama-Florida State had a streaming audience of 237,000 viewers in the average minute, which became ESPN’s networks highest-rated and most-streamed kickoff weekend game on record. Michigan-Florida on ABC had a streaming audience of 182,000 viewers in the average minute. The 3:30 p.m. game became the highest-rated and most-streamed non-prime time kickoff game on record.
ESPN PR said the average minute streaming audience for Alabama’s victory is ESPN’s second most-streamed regular season game ever, and surpassed every September and October game ESPN/ABC has ever televised. It trailed only last season’s double overtime Michigan-Ohio State game all-time.
It is Official: Florida State vs. Alabama: Monster 7.3 Overnight, ABC/ESPN Best Kickoff Weekend Overnight on Record https://t.co/8W9ucdyFS7 pic.twitter.com/WLMce7iVQJ
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) September 3, 2017
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
