ABC Beats its Combined Thursday Competition by Wide Margins, Marking its Second-Biggest Audience on the Night Since at Least 1991. The “2010 CITI BCS National Championship” Stands as TV’s Most-Watched Telecast In Nearly 1 Year, Since ABC’s Broadcast of the ‘09 “Academy Awards” in February.
Surging Year to Year, ABC’s “2010 CITI BCS National Championship” Earns The Best-Ever Numbers for the Designated BCS National Championship Game.
Thursday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
With coverage of the “2010 CITI BCS National Championship,” featuring Texas vs. Alabama, ABC out delivered its combined network competition during Thursday’s prime by 8.7 million viewers (29.2 million vs. 20.5 million = CBS, NBC, Fox and CW combined) and by 73% among Adults 18-49 (9.7/25 vs. 5.6/14). In fact in viewers and young adults, it was the biggest night of primetime TV for any network this season.
ABC generated its largest Thursday audience since October 1995 and its highest Adult 18-49 number on the night since February 2003 – since 1/26/95 and 2/6/03, respectively. In fact it was the second-largest audience for ABC on the evening since at least September of 1991 – pre-dating Nielsen’s electronic database.
“2010 CITI BCS National Championship” (8:32 p.m. – 12:14 a.m.)
ABC’s broadcast of the “CITI BCS National Championship” drew an average audience of 30.8 million viewers and earned a 10.5 rating, 28 share among Adults 18-49. Alabama defeated Texas, 37-21, winning its first national title since 1992.
Versus Fox’s year-ago coverage of the BCS National Championship, the 2010 “CITI BCS National Championship” on ABC was up by 4.0 million viewers and by 11% in Adults 18-49 (2009 “FEDEX BCS National Championship” – 26.8 million & 9.5/25 on 1/8/09). In fact ABC’s broadcast was the most-watched ever for the designated “BCS National Championship,” topping Fox’s telecasts in 2009, 2008 and 2007.
ABC’s airing of the 2010 “CITI BCS National Championship” generated the biggest audience for any TV telecast in nearly 1 year – since ABC’s 2009 “Academy Awards” broadcast on 2/22/09.
(Source: data and information provided by ABC. – The Nielsen Company National, Live + Same Day Program Ratings 1/7/10.)
