Any TV ratings from this weekend?

[Cocky]

Either game?

[Twentysix]

IIRC something like 3 weeks after the day the general public can get a hold of viewership numbers.

If you know someone who works at a TV station they can probably get them yesterday.

[Twentysix]

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/college-football-tv-ratings/

Looks like #s should be available next week.

[FargoBison]

CSU-JSU had 546K viewers....

http://sportstvratings.com/lakers-spurs-heat-pacers-pardon-the-interruption-lead-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-friday-december-11-2015/4091/

[JSUSoutherner]

CSU-JSU had 546K viewers....

http://sportstvratings.com/lakers-spurs-heat-pacers-pardon-the-interruption-lead-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-friday-december-11-2015/4091/
More than half a million isn't bad.

[chattownmocs]

I always wondered how long you have to watch for it to count. Surely it requires more than just switching to that channel at some point during the broadcast and surely you don't have to watch the entire thing either.

[FargoBison]

For comparisons sake here are last year's playoff numbers....

CCU-NDSU 1.447 million ESPN
ISU-NDSU 1.444 million ESPN2
SHSU-NDSU 790k ESPN2
Chattanooga-UNH 675k ESPN2
ISU-UNH 370k ESPNU

[Ivytalk]

CSU-JSU had 546K viewers....

http://sportstvratings.com/lakers-spurs-heat-pacers-pardon-the-interruption-lead-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-friday-december-11-2015/4091/
And I was one of them! Thought I spotted Cocky in a crowd shot...:D

[NDSU_grad]

More than half a million isn't bad.
And that was on ESPNU, correct?

[Professor Chaos]

I would guess JSU/CSU ratings were hurt slightly by the ISUr/Richmond game. Last year the Friday quarterfinal (UNH/Chatty) didn't have any other FCS game for competition.

I'd guess that most people who compose these numbers are FCS fans so giving them another option to watch at the same time divides an already small pool of viewers.

[Sycamore62]

I always wondered how long you have to watch for it to count. Surely it requires more than just switching to that channel at some point during the broadcast and surely you don't have to watch the entire thing either.

somehow ive been part of the Nielsen ratings a few times in the last few years. They want you to write down anything over 5 minutes and who in the household or visitors are watching. I dont know how they get them so fast because you have to mail them in the Friday after it's over.

[DFW HOYA]

It's all about the network. Harvard-Yale drew just 106K on NBC Sports Network.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

It's all about the network. Harvard-Yale drew just 106K on NBC Sports Network.

Correct. The fact that it was on ESPNU, not carried nearly as widely as ESPN, is a huge factor.

[Twentysix]

Correct. The fact that it was on ESPNU, not carried nearly as widely as ESPN, is a huge factor.

Right, for example in ND, the primary cable provider doesn't offer ESPNU as part of the base cable package. Just ESPN/2/News/3.

I would guess this is a not an uncommon espn lineup for non-sports package people.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Which game is that? 4 million viewers is really impressive. Oh TexasBaylor, never mind I couldn't give a ****.

God damn it. I got the wrong weekend. I suck, can you delete that post?

[Cocky]

And I was one of them! Thought I spotted Cocky in a crowd shot...:D

I was the one with the bourbon in hand.

[Twentysix]

God damn it. I got the wrong weekend. I suck, can you delete that post?

yeah yeah, np. I thought the NDSU game got 4 million viewers. That seemed like an insane amount.

[CockyGeek]

I always wondered how long you have to watch for it to count. Surely it requires more than just switching to that channel at some point during the broadcast and surely you don't have to watch the entire thing either.

It's by 30 minute increments then averaged. JSU was up against a pretty big UFC fight that got about a million viewers. Not really a big sports night overall.

[FargoBison]

UNI-NDSU hit a ratings home run this weekend...



Northern Iowa/North Dakota State football on ESPN: 1.644M

https://twitter.com/SportsTVRatings/status/676830155277398016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[Lehigh Football Nation]

UNI-NDSU hit a ratings home run this weekend...




https://twitter.com/SportsTVRatings/status/676830155277398016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Couldn't be happier about being wrong about that. Great news.

[IBleedYellow]

Holy crap...

[clenz]

Couldn't be happier about being wrong about that. Great news.Shouldn't listened to us from the start

That game is an automatic home run every single year, regular season or post season, for ESPN to throw onto ESPN2 or ESPNU

[centennial]

Shouldn't listened to us from the start

That game is an automatic home run every single year, regular season or post season, for ESPN to throw onto ESPN2 or ESPNU
Turns out people like to watch defenses play.

[IBleedYellow]

Shouldn't listened to us from the start

That game is an automatic home run every single year, regular season or post season, for ESPN to throw onto ESPN2 or ESPNU

Why would he do that? Give us MVFC fans a chance to show him up is way better!

[Franks Tanks]

somehow ive been part of the Nielsen ratings a few times in the last few years. They want you to write down anything over 5 minutes and who in the household or visitors are watching. I dont know how they get them so fast because you have to mail them in the Friday after it's over.

I can't believe they still ask you to mail them in! You would think they would have a web portal by now to input the info.

I remember getting one of those about 20 years ago, but haven't since.

[Cocky]

Was hoping our would have been closer to a million but NDSU/UNI was a good number. Hard to understand with this number why FCS cant get a little more love from the TV producers. And remember this is with no promos leading up to the games. All week its been Heisman and Army/Navy (which was a great game).

[BisonFan02]

Was hoping our would have been closer to a million but NDSU/UNI was a good number. Hard to understand with this number why FCS cant get a little more love from the TV producers. And remember this is with no promos leading up to the games. All week its been Heisman and Army/Navy (which was a great game).

Just see the comments from NDSU fans prior to the game about the TV viewership. The Bison get a 60 share in ND during the season on statewide NBC tv....we bump Notre Dame games locally in our state. It is a state land grant school that has been on gameday twice....I have friends from PA that had ZERO interest in FCS football until I got them hooked on it....get a lot of texts from 717 phone numbers before the games that are on ESPN. Not many other FCS schools get this kind of following.

[FargoBison]

UNI-NDSU is the highest rated FCS playoff game since at least 2012.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Official numbers:



NCAA FOOTBALL CHAMPS L
ESPN
12:00 PM
1644
0.4



Source:

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/12/15/saturday-cable-ratings-dec-12-2015/

The rating is rating in the 18-49 demographic.

[Professor Chaos]

Just see the comments from NDSU fans prior to the game about the TV viewership. The Bison get a 60 share in ND during the season on statewide NBC tv....we bump Notre Dame games locally in our state. It is a state land grant school that has been on gameday twice....I have friends from PA that had ZERO interest in FCS football until I got them hooked on it....get a lot of texts from 717 phone numbers before the games that are on ESPN. Not many other FCS schools get this kind of following.
The big thing is getting on the ESPN flagship instead of ESPN2 or the tugboats known as ESPNU or ESPNEWS. The GSU/ODU quarterfinal in 2012 had 1.566M viewers as well.

I still think the most impressive game in terms of ratings was the NDSU/ISUr championship game last year. That 1.44M viewers was better than almost every other trivial bowl game at that time slot in previous weeks and that's with little to no promo effort put in by ESPN.


UNI-NDSU is the highest rated FCS playoff game since at least 2012.
Beat 'em all in 2012 as well. Someone posted this spreadsheet (http://i.imgur.com/2UflS.jpg) on AGS back after the 2012 postseason that listed all of them.

[Sycamore62]

I can't believe they still ask you to mail them in! You would think they would have a web portal by now to input the info.

I remember getting one of those about 20 years ago, but haven't since.

yeah, id just let them get info from my Directv box. hell I dont care if they know what im watching.

[Winindy]

Sports TV Ratings ‏@SportsTVRatings (https://twitter.com/SportsTVRatings) 11h11 hours ago (https://twitter.com/SportsTVRatings/status/676830155277398016) Northern Iowa/North Dakota State football on ESPN: 1.644M North Carolina/Texas college hoops: 1.257M

That UNC/Texas game was a great game too.

[CHIP72]

Sports TV Ratings ‏@SportsTVRatings (https://twitter.com/SportsTVRatings) 11h11 hours ago (https://twitter.com/SportsTVRatings/status/676830155277398016) Northern Iowa/North Dakota State football on ESPN: 1.644M North Carolina/Texas college hoops: 1.257M

That UNC/Texas game was a great game too.

I remember reading an article a few months ago that noted minor bowl games often outdraw early round NCAA Tournament games (obviously the games aren't concurrent, but that it happens is still remarkable), so considering the time of the season for both sports this isn't overly surprising IMO.

[WTFCollegefootballfan]

http://www.inforum.com/sports/3904743-mcfeely-blog-bison-uni-game-had-record-breaking-tv-audience

[jsualumnus]

And that was on ESPNU, correct?

ESPN2... This Saturday's game will be on ESPNU

[Catsfan90]

For comparisons sake here are last year's playoff numbers....

CCU-NDSU 1.447 million ESPN
ISU-NDSU 1.444 million ESPN2
SHSU-NDSU 790k ESPN2
Chattanooga-UNH 675k ESPN2
ISU-UNH 370k ESPNU
Jeeze.... 675,000 people saw the dungeon.

[iowastatebison]

I can't believe they still ask you to mail them in! You would think they would have a web portal by now to input the info.

I remember getting one of those about 20 years ago, but haven't since.


The reason they still mail them is because you get a better response rate. People are about three times more likely to respond to a mail survey than go online and respond to the same survey.

[JSUSoutherner]

The reason they still mail them is because you get a better response rate. People are about three times more likely to respond to a mail survey than go online and respond to the same survey.

That seems backwards.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

That seems backwards.

I would think younger people will do very little of either and older folks that shill don't mind using the mail service might be the larger potion of the group doing the mail in thing. Just a random theory with no data so who knows.

[iowastatebison]

That seems backwards.


It does. It surprised me when I found out as well. But it is a phenomenon that occurs consistently. In the survey statistics field, it would be optimal to get everyone to do online surveys to expedite the data cleaning process, but people must have some sort of irrational fear of filling out forms online. They must associate with spam.

Even hear at Iowa State University, when given the option to fill out surveys online or send them back, 75% of the surveys are sent back through snail mail.

[iowastatebison]

By the way, the statistics field is looking into surveys for smart phones in a attempt to increase response rate. I personally think that no one will want to do a survey on their phone.

[Wilson16]

Worked in Dallas this week wearing my Bizon colors. Had 3 people ask me if there would be a return trip this year. 2-3 didn't have any idea we were in the semis against Richmond but all were aware of the green n gold invading Frisco in January. The third works at the soccer field where the game is played and knew full well where NDSU was at and was cheering for a return to see the invasion again. She said man you guys can really take over the area for a weekend.

[tribefan40]

Any decibel ratings?

[Twentysix]

Any decibel ratings?

No higher than 115db.



Weakest sound heard
0dB


Whisper Quiet Library at 6'
30dB


Normal conversation at 3'
60-65dB


Telephone dial tone
80dB


City Traffic (inside car)
85dB


Train whistle at 500', Truck Traffic
90dB


Jackhammer at 50'
95dB


Subway train at 200'
95dB


Level at which sustained exposure may result in hearing loss
90 - 95dB


Hand Drill
98dB


Power mower at 3'
107dB


Snowmobile, Motorcycle
100dB


Power saw at 3'
110dB


Sandblasting, Loud Rock Concert, NDSU Playoff Game
115dB

[Cocky]

The TV at my mom and dads 135dB.

[RootinFerDukes]

What is a go-to site for the quickest TV rating information? Anything from this past week for the FCS playoff games and the bowl games?

[Professor Chaos]

What is a go-to site for the quickest TV rating information? Anything from this past week for the FCS playoff games and the bowl games?
http://sportstvratings.com/ or http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/

Nothing yet that I've seen for Friday night or Saturday cable ratings for the FCS playoff and bowl games. I also follow @SportsTVRatings on Twitter if I'm particularly interested in seeing ratings for sporting events when they first come out.

[FargoBison]

ESPN2: NDSU vs Richmond, 751k (http://sportstvratings.com/clippers-spurs-pelicans-suns-pardon-the-interruption-lead-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-friday-december-18-2015/4119/)

Last year NDSU-SHSU pulled in 790k viewers, so slightly down.

[clenz]

ESPN2: NDSU vs Richmond, 751k (http://sportstvratings.com/clippers-spurs-pelicans-suns-pardon-the-interruption-lead-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-friday-december-18-2015/4119/)
Proof that UNI/NDSU should be a TV game every season

[BisonBacker]

Proof that UNI/NDSU should be a TV game every season

Comparing apples & oranges there sparky. The NDSU game against you guys was on ESPN's flagship. The Richmond game was on ESPN2. Just to make sure you understand NDSU is the draw. Like the announcers for the last two weeks games said NDSU isn't just the representative of the MVFC it's for the entire FCS.

[Sycamore62]

Comparing apples & oranges there sparky. The NDSU game against you guys was on ESPN's flagship. The Richmond game was on ESPN2. Just to make sure you understand NDSU is the draw. Like the announcers for the last two weeks games said NDSU isn't just the representative of the MVFC it's for the entire FCS.

so now we are going by what announcers are saying. are these guys the ones that were doing the FCS bowl game between the 2 fcs conferences?

[FargoBison]

NDSU-UNI would be a great game for ESPN to throw on ESPNU, ESPN News or even the deuce ever year simply because it is usually a great game. Both teams have solid mid-major brands. If Patty V was worth a damn the MVFC would be working on that.

[BisonBacker]

so now we are going by what announcers are saying. are these guys the ones that were doing the FCS bowl game between the 2 fcs conferences?

NDSU has dominated the FCS and is on track to make history with 5 straight FCS championships. If NDSU is not the Flagship Marquee program for the FCS who is? Yes it was the announcers from last weeks game against Richmond who said it. I happen to agree with it. Not being cocky just stating a fact. What every coach in the FCS is after is what NDSU has!

[clenz]

Comparing apples & oranges there sparky. The NDSU game against you guys was on ESPN's flagship. The Richmond game was on ESPN2. Just to make sure you understand NDSU is the draw. Like the announcers for the last two weeks games said NDSU isn't just the representative of the MVFC it's for the entire FCS.
Moving that NDSU/Richmond game to ESPN doesn't grab another million viewers.

UNI/NDSU on ESPN2 still draws 1.3-1.4 million.

I know no one else in the FCS can have anything nice, or remotely close to NDSU, but that game will outdraw any random Purdue/Indiana game they slap on ESPN2 in October.

[BisonBacker]

Moving that NDSU/Richmond game to ESPN doesn't grab another million viewers.

UNI/NDSU on ESPN2 still draws 1.3-1.4 million.

I know no one else in the FCS can have anything nice, or remotely close to NDSU, but that game will outdraw any random Purdue/Indiana game they slap on ESPN2 in October.

I never said that. Just saying that trying to compare numbers of the NDSU/UNI game on ESPN to those of NDSU/Richmond on ESPN2 is not a fair comparison and not reflective of just UNI. Hell had NDSU/Richmond been on ESPN I venture to guess that our numbers would have been equal to if not higher than the game against UNI.

[Bisonator]

NDSU-UNI would be a great game for ESPN to throw on ESPNU, ESPN News or even the deuce ever year simply because it is usually a great game. Both teams have solid mid-major brands. If Patty V was worth a damn the MVFC would be working on that.

This. I'm sure Patty is working on it. /DEEP PURPLE

[FargoBison]

I never said that. Just saying that trying to compare numbers of the NDSU/UNI game on ESPN to those of NDSU/Richmond on ESPN2 is not a fair comparison and not reflective of just UNI. Hell had NDSU/Richmond been on ESPN I venture to guess that our numbers would have been equal to if not higher than the game against UNI.

That garbage game wasn't outdrawing the UNI game. The UR game was NDSU's lowest rated ever on ESPN or ESPN2. Clenz has a point....

[BisonBacker]

I had to go back and reread your comments. I can't believe I missed what you wrote. Moving the game to ESPN absolutely makes a huge difference. You must really think UNI walks on water.

[BisonBacker]

That garbage game wasn't outdrawing the UNI game. The UR game was NDSU's lowest rated ever on ESPN or ESPN2.
I'll give you the game was bad due to Richmond being outclassed but it doesn't change the fact had the game been on ESPN it would have drawn much better viewership.

[clenz]

I'll give you the game was bad due to Richmond being outclassed but it doesn't change the fact had the game been on ESPN it would have drawn much better viewership.
Would it have drawn 1.1 or 1.2 instead of 700K? Sure.

NDSU/UNI on ESPN2 still draws 1.3-1.4ish.

Keep thinking that UNI doesn't bring any thing to drawing viewship to that game.

That will be the highest rated game of the playoffs.

[FargoBison]

I'll give you the game was bad due to Richmond being outclassed but it doesn't change the fact had the game been on ESPN it would have drawn much better viewership.

It would have pulled in a million plus I guess.

NDSU-UNI is the highest rated FCS-FCS game going back since at least 2012. Next closest is GSU-ODU in 2012 which did about 100k less.

[clenz]

I'll give you the game was bad due to Richmond being outclassed but it doesn't change the fact had the game been on ESPN it would have drawn much better viewership.
Being outclassed didn't affect viewership numbers to the tune of a million people

UNI/NDSU on ESPN2 or ESPNU draws a million plus every single season for a regular season game...even if 999,999 of them are NDSU fans

[CHIP72]

I never said that. Just saying that trying to compare numbers of the NDSU/UNI game on ESPN to those of NDSU/Richmond on ESPN2 is not a fair comparison and not reflective of just UNI. Hell had NDSU/Richmond been on ESPN I venture to guess that our numbers would have been equal to if not higher than the game against UNI.

You missed the real reasons why UNI/NDSU drew much better than Richmond/NDSU; the network itself is no higher than third-most important reason:

1) UNI/NDSU literally had NO college football or NFL competition in its time slot (Saturday 12/12 at 12 PM ET). There was only one DI-A/FBS game played that day, and it was played at 3 PM ET. The other DI-AA/FCS quarterfinal games were either played in different time slots and/or weren't on TV (streaming only). The D2 and D3 semifinal games weren't on TV (streaming only). By contrast, the Richmond/NDSU game was up against the D3 championship game in most of its time slot (though it still did not face any FBS or NFL competition). Additionally, some states had state championship football games on Friday night that were regionally televised in their states.

2) UNI/NDSU was played on a Saturday, which is the day most associated with college football. Richmond/NDSU was played on a Friday night, which is not nearly as associated with college football and is a time when a lot of people go out and aren't watching TV.

3) UNI/NDSU was on ESPN, while Richmond/NDSU was on ESPN2. Having said that, the difference between the two networks in terms of prominence at this point is minimal IMO; it isn't 1995 anymore. (Exhibit A of why I say that - the reverse TV mirrors ESPN uses for many nationally-televised DI-A/FBS games in the 3:30 PM ET time slot; many of the ESPN-produced games in that time slot are televised on ABC in part of the country and ESPN2 in part of the country. If the ESPN2 games were considered crap games by the powers that be at ESPN, they wouldn't be shown anywhere on ABC.) There is a much, much bigger difference in terms of prominence and availability between ESPN2 and ESPNU or ESPNews than there is between ESPN and ESPN2.

In all honesty, factors #1 and #2 pretty much guaranteed the TV audience for Richmond/NDSU was going to be much lower than for UNI/NDSU. I'd add that pretty much everything - day of week, number of other football games on TV, network televising the game, and even to some degree time of day - maximized the audience for UNI/NDSU. It drew (from what I've read elsewhere on here) 1.6 million viewers, a very impressive total for a DI-AA/FCS game. Having said that however, the Army/Navy game the same day, which had a couple of moderate to modest advantages over UNI/NDSU, namely over-the-air TV and a nationally more favorable start time (3 PM ET), but still featured two FBS G5 teams, one good and one bad, drew 7.1 million TV viewers, almost 4 1/2 times as many viewers as UNI/NDSU, despite the fact it was not a playoff game. That provides a frame of reference for comparing a high profile all-FCS game to a moderate profile all-FBS (but very high profile all-FBS G5) game TV viewer-wise when both games are scheduled on a day and time that maximizes the TV audience.

[clenz]

You missed the real reasons why UNI/NDSU drew much better than Richmond/NDSU; the network itself is no higher than third-most important reason:

1) UNI/NDSU literally had NO college football or NFL competition in its time slot (Saturday 12/12 at 12 PM ET). There was only one DI-A/FBS game played that day, and it was played at 3 PM ET. The other DI-AA/FCS quarterfinal games were either played in different time slots and weren't on TV (streaming only). The D2 and D3 semifinal games weren't on TV (streaming only). By contrast, the Richmond/NDSU game was up against the D3 championship game in most of its time slot (though it still did not face any FBS or NFL competition). Additionally, some states had state championship football games on Friday night that were regionally televised in their states.

2) UNI/NDSU was played on a Saturday, which is the day most associated with college football. Richmond/NDSU was played on a Friday night, which is not nearly as associated with college football and is a time when a lot of people go out and aren't watching TV.

3) UNI/NDSU was on ESPN, while Richmond/NDSU was on ESPN2. Having said that, the difference between the two networks in terms of prominence at this point is minimal IMO; it isn't 1995 anymore. There is a much, much bigger difference in terms of prominence and availability between ESPN2 and ESPNU or ESPNews than there is between ESPN and ESPN2.

In all honesty, factors #1 and #2 pretty much guaranteed the TV audience for Richmond/NDSU was going to be much lower than for UNI/NDSU. I'd add that pretty much everything - day of week, number of other football games on TV, network televising the game, and even to some degree time of day - maximized the audience for UNI/NDSU. It drew (from what I've read elsewhere on here) 1.6 million viewers, a very impressive total for a DI-AA/FCS game. Having said that however, the Army/Navy game the same day, which had a couple of moderate to modest advantages over UNI/NDSU, namely over-the-air TV and a nationally more favorable start time (3 PM ET), but still featured two FBS G5 teams, one good and one bad, drew 7.1 million TV viewers, almost 4 1/2 times as many as UNI/NDSU, despite the fact it was not a playoff game. That provides a frame of reference for comparing a high profile all-FCS game to a moderate profile all-FBS (but very high profile all-FBS G5) game TV viewer-wise when both games are scheduled on a day and time that maximizes the TV audience.
Call Navy/Army moderate profile level programs if you want

That game is one of the 3 or 4 best, and most looked forward too games of the season every single year.

[BisonBacker]

You missed the real reasons why UNI/NDSU drew much better than Richmond/NDSU; the network itself is no higher than third-most important reason:

1) UNI/NDSU literally had NO college football or NFL competition in its time slot (Saturday 12/12 at 12 PM ET). There was only one DI-A/FBS game played that day, and it was played at 3 PM ET. The other DI-AA/FCS quarterfinal games were either played in different time slots and weren't on TV (streaming only). The D2 and D3 semifinal games weren't on TV (streaming only). By contrast, the Richmond/NDSU game was up against the D3 championship game in most of its time slot (though it still did not face any FBS or NFL competition). Additionally, some states had state championship football games on Friday night that were regionally televised in their states.

2) UNI/NDSU was played on a Saturday, which is the day most associated with college football. Richmond/NDSU was played on a Friday night, which is not nearly as associated with college football and is a time when a lot of people go out and aren't watching TV.

3) UNI/NDSU was on ESPN, while Richmond/NDSU was on ESPN2. Having said that, the difference between the two networks in terms of prominence at this point is minimal IMO; it isn't 1995 anymore. There is a much, much bigger difference in terms of prominence and availability between ESPN2 and ESPNU or ESPNews than there is between ESPN and ESPN2.

In all honesty, factors #1 and #2 pretty much guaranteed the TV audience for Richmond/NDSU was going to be much lower than for UNI/NDSU. I'd add that pretty much everything - day of week, number of other football games on TV, network televising the game, and even to some degree time of day - maximized the audience for UNI/NDSU. It drew (from what I've read elsewhere on here) 1.6 million viewers, a very impressive total for a DI-AA/FCS game. Having said that however, the Army/Navy game the same day, which had a couple of moderate to modest advantages over UNI/NDSU, namely over-the-air TV and a nationally more favorable start time (3 PM ET), but still featured two FBS G5 teams, one good and one bad, drew 7.1 million TV viewers, almost 4 1/2 times as many as UNI/NDSU, despite the fact it was not a playoff game. That provides a frame of reference for comparing a high profile all-FCS game to a moderate profile all-FBS (but very high profile all-FBS G5) game TV viewer-wise when both games are scheduled on a day and time that maximizes the TV audience.

Good points. I wasn't aware that the Army/Navy game drew that. That's impressive. Also another reason I'm leaning more and more to the side of if NDSU wins it's fifth straight and even if we don't favoring a move to the FBS. Higher profile and better competition. I'd love to see NDSU in the MWC. But that's a different topic for a different thread.

[CHIP72]

Call Navy/Army moderate profile level programs if you want

That game is one of the 3 or 4 best, and most looked forward too games of the season every single year.

Army/Navy was outdrawn by many, many Division I-A/FBS games this season, despite the fact those games were televised at the same time as many other college football games. Here, look for yourself:

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/college-football-tv-ratings/

Weeks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13, and 14 - 9 out of 14 weeks - had at least one game which drew higher ratings than Army/Navy.

[Professor Chaos]

I'll give you the game was bad due to Richmond being outclassed but it doesn't change the fact had the game been on ESPN it would have drawn much better viewership.
SHSU was outclassed by NDSU last year in the exact same TV spot but it still drew better ratings than the NDSU/Richmond game this year whereas last week NDSU/UNI blew away the previous year's matchup in the same time slot (NDSU/CCU). NDSU may have been the main draw in all those cases but UNI contributed to that healthy bump year over year in the quarterfinal matchup on ESPN.

[CHIP72]

Good points. I wasn't aware that the Army/Navy game drew that. That's impressive. Also another reason I'm leaning more and more to the side of if NDSU wins it's fifth straight and even if we don't favoring a move to the FBS. Higher profile and better competition. I'd love to see NDSU in the MWC. But that's a different topic for a different thread.

Army/Navy is by no means a representative FBS G5 game; because of its historical nature it is much, much more prominent than a typical FBS G5 game. But what I WOULD say is that the relatively large audiences NDSU and other FCS teams have drawn for games generally only occur in special circumstances - later rounds of the playoffs and the unofficial FCS kickoff game in late August (another unopposed TV game that attracts some hardcore football fans who need a college football fix). FBS G5 teams by contrast can attract some fairly large audiences for regular season games if they are playing certain P5 opponents, something that largely does not occur with FCS teams. (The reason why it doesn't occur for FCS teams is ESPN generally ranks FBS P5/FCS games lower in its pecking order than FBS P5/FBS G5 games, regardless of the G5 or FCS teams involved in those games.) Additionally, decent or better FBS G5 teams will attract relatively large TV audiences for their bowl games, even if they are minor bowl games. A few weeks ago I posted in a thread on here some analysis I conducted that showed 36 of the 39 bowl games last year drew larger TV audiences than the Illinois State/North Dakota State championship game, and 34 of the 39 bowl games drew audiences at least 40% larger, if not a whole lot more than that. Additionally, those five bowl games that drew relatively small audiences did so for some very obvious reasons - inconvenient day and start time or competition with an NFL game (which generally draw much larger audiences than almost all FBS football games); by contrast the ISU/NDSU championship game was played on a convenient day and time (1 PM ET on a Saturday) at a time when no other football games were being played.

The more I look at the TV ratings for college football games, the more I understand why so many schools have decided to move up from FCS to FBS. Yes, those schools won't be winning any more national championships or be serious playoff contenders, and they'll be minnows in a sea of sharks. But they also will play more games that draw reasonably large numbers of TV viewers, and they will become more visible to the general college football fan.

One other thought - in all seriousness, I'd bet NDSU's appearances in the NCAA basketball tournament, especially the one in which they upset Oklahoma, created more visibility for the university than its four straight FCS national championships. A lot more people pay attention to the NCAA Tournament than the FCS playoffs, and success in the NCAA Tournament is probably respected a lot more by the general sports fan than success in the FCS playoffs.

[Cocky]

Ratings for Week 6 - 13 Per Sportsmediawatch.com (http://sportsmediawatch.com/)

The G5vG5 Ratings during the week

Fri Oct 16 Cinci - BYU 1468K ESPN
Fri Oct 23 Memphis - Tulsa 1200K ESPN
Fri Nov 6 Temple - SMU 1000K ESPN2
Fri Nov 20 Air Force - Boise St 966K ESPN2
Tue Nov 3 NIU - Toledo 856K ESPN2
Thu Oct 22 Temple - ECU 679k ESPN2
Thu Nov 19 ECU - UCF 669K ESPN
Wed Nov 11 BGSU - WMU 665K ESPN2
Wed Nov 18 WMU - NIU 630K ESPN2
Wed Nov 4 Ohio - BGSU 622k ESPN2
Tue Nov 10 Toledo - CMU 561k ESPN2
Thu Nov 17 Toledo - BGSU 527K ESPN2
Fri Oct 30 Wyo - Utah St 425k ESPN2
Tue Nov 24 Ohio - NIU 400k EPSNU
Thu Nov 26 USF - UCF 388k ESPN
Fri Oct 23 Utah St - SDSU 368k ESPN2
Fri Oct 16 UNLV - Fresno 358K ESPN2
Thu Oct 8 SMU - Hou 356k ESPN2
Tue Oct 20 ULL - Ark St 351k ESPN2
Tue Oct 13 Ark St - S Ala 287k ESPN2
Thu Nov 5 Nevada - Fresno 261k ESPN2
Thu Nov 5 Ark State - App State 200k ESPNU
Thu Nov 11 NIU - Buffalo 191k ESPNU
Fri Oct 30 ECU - UConn 188k ESPNU
Fri Oct 16 Hou - Tul 185k ESPNU
Thu Nov 12 ULL - S Alab 160k ESPNU
Tue Nov 10 Kent - Ohio 146k ESPNU
Thu Oct 29 Texas St - Ga So 107k ESPNU
Fri Oct 30 La Tech - Rice 113K FS1
Thu Oct 22 Ga So - App St 190k ESPNU
Fri Nov 27 Marshall - WKU 168k FS1
Fri Nov 27 Tulsa - Tulane 147k ESPNU
Wed Nov 18 CMU - Kent St 106K ESPNU
Thu Nov 17 Ball State - Ohio 101K ESPNU
Thu Nov 19 UL Monroe - Texas St 84K ESPNU
Fri Nov 27 UMass - Buffalo 81k ESPNU

Note:

NIU had the highest ESPNU rating out of all G5 games, as well as the highest non-Friday ESPN2 rating.

Sun Belt ratings were not very good for mid-week games.

[FargoBison]

SHSU-JSU had 256k viewers (http://sportstvratings.com/jets-cowboys-ohio-appalachian-state-lead-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-saturday-december-19-2015/4126/)

Not really shocked since the game awful and there seemed to be more competition then usual.

[BluBengal07]

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2015/12/sports-ratings-nba-espn-clippers-spurs-fcs-football-espn2-division-ii-championship/

FCS Semis Down on ESPN2, ESPNU



The North Dakota State/Richmond FCS playoff semifinal had a 0.5 final rating and 741,000 viewers on ESPN2 Friday night, flat in ratings and down 6% in viewership from NDSU/Sam Houston State last year (0.5, 790K) and flat and down 9%, respectively, from NDSU/New Hampshire in 2013 (0.5, 813K). On Saturday, Sam Houston State/Jacksonville State drew 256,000 viewers on ESPNU — down 31% from Illinois State/New Hampshire last year (370K) and down 37% from Towson/Eastern Washington on ESPN2 in 2013 (409K). (via TVMI, Sports TV Ratings (http://sportstvratings.com/jets-cowboys-ohio-appalachian-state-lead-cable-sports-tv-ratings-for-saturday-december-19-2015/4126/))

[RootinFerDukes]

Are TV ratings for live sports as a whole suffering, in a similar way that physical attendance at live sports is suffering? It looks like G5 numbers and the FCS ESPN network games are tit for tat in terms of ratings, although the G5 has the argument that they're being thrown on non-friday/saturday weeknights.
That's just further proof that a casual sports fan doesn't see much difference between G5 conference teams and anything lower division in terms of their interest.

[Professor Chaos]

Are TV ratings for live sports as a whole suffering, in a similar way that physical attendance at live sports is suffering? It looks like G5 numbers and the FCS ESPN network games are tit for tat in terms of ratings, although the G5 has the argument that they're being thrown on non-friday/saturday weeknights.
That's just further proof that a casual sports fan doesn't see much difference between G5 conference teams and anything lower division in terms of their interest.
I don't think there's any doubt that all sports broadcasts on cable and network TV as a whole are losing viewership. There's too many ways people can get connected now. For instance, I've watched very little NFL this year compared to years past because I'd rather do other things on Sunday and it's super easy to stay plugged in with everything that is happening just using the ESPN Scorecenter app and Twitter feed on my phone. For super casual college football fans, if they wanted to stay in tune with what was happening with a game 10-15 years ago they had to have a laptop with them or else be watching on TV. Now that's not the case.

[FargoBison]

I am not surprised that the ratings are down, they were crappy games and this year they faced more competition.

[caribbeanhen]

I don't think there's any doubt that all sports broadcasts on cable and network TV as a whole are losing viewership. There's too many ways people can get connected now. For instance, I've watched very little NFL this year compared to years past because I'd rather do other things on Sunday and it's super easy to stay plugged in with everything that is happening just using the ESPN Scorecenter app and Twitter feed on my phone. For super casual college football fans, if they wanted to stay in tune with what was happening with a game 10-15 years ago they had to have a laptop with them or else be watching on TV. Now that's not the case.

this! watched first NFL game yesterday and was shocked at how good the Arizona Def was, took Rogers head right out of the game..... I don't miss the NFL

[Bisonwinagn]

I don't think there's any doubt that all sports broadcasts on cable and network TV as a whole are losing viewership. There's too many ways people can get connected now. For instance, I've watched very little NFL this year compared to years past because I'd rather do other things on Sunday and it's super easy to stay plugged in with everything that is happening just using the ESPN Scorecenter app and Twitter feed on my phone. For super casual college football fans, if they wanted to stay in tune with what was happening with a game 10-15 years ago they had to have a laptop with them or else be watching on TV. Now that's not the case.

I don't think viewership is down at all. If it was ESPN wouldn't be signing these record TV deals and neither would the Big Ten Network. TV ratings are not even close to declining like attendance has.

[RootinFerDukes]

so i was looking over all the bowl ratings so far and I couldn't find one rating, the cure bowl that aired on CBS Sports Network. I have read on these interwebs that CBSSN doesn't publicly release their TV ratings. That's not a good sign.

[clenz]

But remember, the UNI/NDSU game was 100% NDSU fans. No UNI fans were involved in getting that rating.

[JSUSoutherner]

How many people watched the Boise State vs UNI game?

[Professor Chaos]

so i was looking over all the bowl ratings so far and I couldn't find one rating, the cure bowl that aired on CBS Sports Network. I have read on these interwebs that CBSSN doesn't publicly release their TV ratings. That's not a good sign.
There's a few here but nothing from the last week: http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/college-football-tv-ratings/

Saturday, December 19
3.675M Utah/BYU Las Vegas Bowl 3:30 PM ABC
1.850M Ohio/App. St. Camellia Bowl 5:51 PM ESPN
1.832M Arizona/UNM New Mexico Bowl 2:31 PM ESPN
1.450M Ark. St./La. Tech New Orleans Bowl 9:20 PM ESPN

Monday, December 21
1.152M WKU/USF Miami Beach Bowl 2:30 PM ESPN

Tuesday, December 22
1.962M Toledo/Temple Boca Raton Bowl 7:02 PM ESPN
1.076M Akron/Utah St. Potato Bowl 3:30 PM ESPN

Wednesday, December 23
2.335M Ga. So./BGSU GoDaddy Bowl 8:00 PM ESPN
1.382M Boise St./NIU Poinsettia Bowl 4:27 PM ESPN

[lionsrking2]

There's a few here but nothing from the last week: http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/college-football-tv-ratings/

Saturday, December 19
3.675M Utah/BYU Las Vegas Bowl 3:30 PM ABC
1.850M Ohio/App. St. Camellia Bowl 5:51 PM ESPN
1.832M Arizona/UNM New Mexico Bowl 2:31 PM ESPN
1.450M Ark. St./La. Tech New Orleans Bowl 9:20 PM ESPN

Monday, December 21
1.152M WKU/USF Miami Beach Bowl 2:30 PM ESPN

Tuesday, December 22
1.962M Toledo/Temple Boca Raton Bowl 7:02 PM ESPN
1.076M Akron/Utah St. Potato Bowl 3:30 PM ESPN

Wednesday, December 23
2.335M Ga. So./BGSU GoDaddy Bowl 8:00 PM ESPN
1.382M Boise St./NIU Poinsettia Bowl 4:27 PM ESPN

Maybe this was posted elsewhere but the Celebration Bowl between Alcorn State and NC A&T drew an impressive 1.89 rating, which translates into over 2 million viewers. Say what you want about HBCUs and foregoing the playoffs, but getting 2 million viewers for Alcorn and A&T is an eye opener to me.

http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/skedball-weekend-sports-tv-ratings-12-19-20-2015.html

[Professor Chaos]

Maybe this was posted elsewhere but the Celebration Bowl between Alcorn State and NC A&T drew an impressive 1.89 rating, which translates into over 2 million viewers. Say what you want about HBCUs and foregoing the playoffs, but getting 2 million viewers for Alcorn and A&T is an eye opener to me.

http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/skedball-weekend-sports-tv-ratings-12-19-20-2015.html
That's more to do with the platform than the teams competing IMO. Put either FCS semifinal in that time slot on ABC and I bet it's 2M+ also.

[lionsrking2]

That's more to do with the platform than the teams competing IMO. Put either FCS semifinal in that time slot on ABC and I bet it's 2M+ also.

Regardless, it's still very impressive, especially for a game involving Alcorn State.

[BluBengal07]

Regardless, it's still very impressive, especially for a game involving Alcorn State.

yea, it's was like Alcorn State had a sleeping fan base, for years. lol. and when a big SWAC school makes it Jackson State, Southern or maybe even Grambling, it should much bigger. MEAC is still a toss up on decent fan travel.