ABC is College Football’s Most-Watched Network, Highlighted by Year-Over-Year Growth and Significant Demographic Gains
- ABC Saturday Night Football is CFB’s Top TV Window, Up 123% Year-Over-Year
- ABC Accounts for 6 of Top 7 and 7 of Top 10 Most-Viewed Games
ABC is the most-watched network for college football through the first month of the 2024 season as millions of fans have tuned in for statement-making matchups, upset bids, last-second thrillers and more. ABC, which ranks No. 1 in average audience and total minutes viewed, has aired six of the top seven most-viewed games of the season and seven of the top 10.
ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One is averaging 7.3 million viewers – up 123 percent year-over-year, the franchise’s best audience through the first five weeks of the season since 2011. In primetime, the top five games of 2024 thus far have all aired on ABC.
Through September, ABC is averaging 5.5 million viewers for the network’s presentation of college football, marking ABC’s best five-week start since 2016 and second best since 2011. ABC’s audience is up 32 percent year-over-year with significant growth in the P18-34 demo, which is up 43 percent over 2023.
ABC has been responsible for 34 percent of live game consumption across Nielsen-rated networks, nearly two times more than the nearest competitor, and the network is averaging 78 percent more viewers than any other competitor.
ABC Wins the Windows
All three of ABC’s Saturday windows (noon, late afternoon and prime) are averaging at least 4 million viewers, with SNF on top with 7.3 million viewers, followed by the 3:30 p.m. ET (4.4 million) and noon (4.2 million) windows.
ABC Reigns Supreme with 7 of the Top 10 Most-Viewed Games Across All Networks
Rank | Window | Matchup | P2+ Viewers |
1 | Primetime | Sept. 28: Georgia at Alabama | 12.0 Million |
3 | Primetime | Sept. 1: USC vs. LSU | 8.6 Million |
4 | Primetime | Aug. 31: Notre Dame at Texas A&M | 7.9 Million |
5 | Noon | Aug. 31: Clemson vs. Georgia | 7.6 Million |
6 | Primetime | Sept. 14: Georgia at Kentucky | 6.6 Million |
7 | Afternoon | Aug. 31: Miami at Florida | 6.4 Million |
9 | Primetime | Sept. 21: Tennessee at Oklahoma | 6.3 Million |
SEC on ABC Starts Strong
The debut season of the new SEC on ABC franchise has delivered 6.2 million average viewers through the first 13 SEC-controlled games. The top SEC on ABC Saturday game each week averages 7.4 million viewers, and the SEC has been the most-watched conference on Nielsen-rated networks. 38 percent of live game consumption across all networks has featured an SEC squad in action.
ACC and Big 12 Drive Significant Viewership
ACC teams have been featured in a third of the most-watched games on ESPN platforms through the first month of the season, including Clemson in the Aflac Kickoff Classic (7.6 million, ABC), Miami in their season opener at Sunshine State foe Florida (6.4 million, ABC) and the top game on cable this fall, the Aer Lingus College Football Classic bout between Florida State and Georgia Tech on ESPN (5 million).
Additionally, the ACC and Big 12 lead the way on ESPN with the most-viewed games across all cable networks:
- Florida State vs. Georgia Tech: 5.0 million
- North Dakota State at Colorado: 4.8 million
- Boston College at Florida State: 4.4 million
- Virginia Tech at Miami: 3.3 million
The college football season continues in Week 6 with 10 Top 25 teams and 75 games set for ESPN platforms, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN+ and ESPN Radio.