ACC Championship Game Hits Six-Year Low

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2018/12/acc-championship-ratings-low-clemson/

ACC Championship ratings were the lowest in six years.

Last Saturday’s Clemson-Pittsburgh ACC Championship Game earned a 2.5 rating and 4.24 million viewers on ABC, down 22% in ratings and viewership from last year (Clemson-Miami: 3.2, 5.43M) and down 24% and 21% respectively from 2016 (Clemson-Virginia Tech: 3.3, 5.34M).

The Tigers’ win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched ACC title game since 2012, the last time the game aired on cable (FSU-Georgia Tech: 1.2, 1.97M),

Since hitting a record 6.2 and 10.1 million in 2013 (FSU-Georgia Tech), ACC Championship ratings and viewership have declined in each subsequent year. Each of Clemson’s six appearances in the game (2009, 2011, 2015-present) have declined from the previous year.

Clemson was a weak draw throughout the regular season. Of the Tigers’ 12 games on national television this year, nine declined — including eight by double-digits.

The top Clemson game this season — a near-loss to Syracuse that had a 3.0 and 4.48 million — ranked outside of the top 25 overall. Notably, Clemson did not play in the top ACC conference game this season (VT-FSU: 3.4, 5.58M) or the top game involving an ACC team this season (Miami-LSU: 3.8, 6.55M).

The ACC Championship was the lowest rated “Power 5” conference title game, trailing the Pac-12 the previous night (2.6). It edged the Pac-12 game in viewership (4.06M)

Clemson-Pittsburgh closed out a down season for ABC’s Saturday Night Football, which averaged 5.08 million viewers — down 13% from last year (5.83M) and down 17% from 2016 (6.09M).

The full list of championship weekend college football ratings is available here.

[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 12.4]