Blockbuster ratings for ESPN’s coverage of the Alabama-Clemson College Football Playoffs championship game helped the network score an easy primetime weekly cable ratings win.
The sports network averaged 4 million viewers for the week of Jan. 9 to Jan. 15, easily outdistancing second place Fox News’ 2.5 million tally, according to Nielsen. ESPN drew 24.4 million viewers for Jan. 9 telecast of the Clemson Tigers’ last minute victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide to pace its weekly victory.
HGTV finished third for the week with 1.6 million viewers, followed by USA’a 1.5 million watchers.
Tying for fourth place with 1.3 million viewers for the week were TBS, Discovery Channel, CNN and MSNBC, while FX (1.2 million viewers) and Investigation Discovery and History (tied with 1.1 million) rounded out the top 10.
Fox News topped ESPN on a 24-hour basis, followed in order by Nickelodeon, HGTV, Disney Channel and Adult Swim.
ESPN was the top choice among adults 18-49 in primetime and on a 24-hour basis, according to Nielsen.
The Most Watched Cable Shows For The Week of Jan. 9 to Jan. 15
DateShowNetwork Total Viewers
1/9 CFP Championship (Clemson-Alabama) ESPN 24.4 million
1/9 CFP pre-game show ESPN 14.4 million
1/9 CFP post-game show ESPN 9.4 million
1/9 CFP Studio Show ESPN 5.3 million
1/11 The O’Reilly Factor Fox News 4.3 million
1/12 The O’Reilly Factor Fox News 4.1 million
1/10 Anderson Cooper 360 CNN 3.7 million
1/10 Fixer Upper HGTV 3.7 million
1/13 Gold Rush Discovery Channel 3.6 million
1/10 Anderson Cooper 360 CNN 3.6 million
Source: Nielsen
