Weekly Cable Ratings: Michigan-Washington CFP Championship Propels ESPN in Primetime

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Fox News edges out ESPN on total-day basis

Wolverines running back Blake Corum (2) is upended by Washington Huskies cornerback Elijah Jackson (25) during the CFP National Championship football game between the Washington Huskies and Michigan Wolverines at NRG Stadium on January 8, 2024
ESPN averaged 4.1 million viewers for Michigan’s College Football Playoff title-game win over Washington. (Image credit: Getty Images)

ESPN's College Football Playoff championship game telecast helped it score a victory on the primetime ratings chart.

ESPN averaged 4.1 million viewers in primetime for the week of January 8-14, more than doubling second-place Fox News Channel’s 2 million viewers, according to Nielsen numbers provided by Fox News. ESPN was paced by the January 8 Michigan Wolverines-Washington Huskies college title game telecast, which averaged 24 million viewers.

MSNBC was third with 1.1 million viewers, followed by HGTV’s 883,000 viewers and Hallmark Channel’s 777,000 watchers. History was sixth with 731,000 viewers, followed by CNN (730,000), TBS (683,000), USA Network (626,000), and TLC (594,000). 

Fox News topped the total-day chart with 1.2 million viewers, followed by ESPN (1.1 million viewers), MSNBC (831,000), CNN (513,000) and HGTV (483,000), according to Nielsen. 

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.