ABC and ESPN Deliver Strong College Football Ratings Amid the DirecTV Blackout
ABC delivered stellar ratings for its Sunday night matchup between USC and LSU even as all Disney-owned channels continued to be blacked out on DirecTV.
The network’s prime-time college football game drew 9.2 million viewers, giving Disney its third-best Sunday Opener ever. Perhaps more importantly, the game also became the most streamed college football game of all time.
Photo: Allegiant Stadium
Meanwhile, ABC’s Saturday night game between Notre Dame and Texas A&M delivered 8.2 million viewers, while Clemson and Georgia delivered 8 million viewers earlier in the day.
Disney’s Networks Were Up Across the Board
According to The Wrap, the ESPN family of networks that aired college football games (ABC, ESPN, and ESPNU) averaged 3.1 million viewers in week one, a 44% increase over last year.
Diving into those numbers, ABC had its most-watched college football Kickoff Week since 2016, with an 83% year-over-year. It was also the network’s second most-watched week on record.
ESPN
As for ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in Sports was up 23% year-over-year.
Pressure on DirecTV is Mounting
Disney’s latest ratings bonanza comes against the backdrop of its impasse with DirecTV. As Disney has proven time and time again, live sports continue to be the backbone of both linear television and streaming.
Photo: DirecTV
Interestingly, however, ABC and ESPN delivered record ratings last weekend without access to DirecTV customers.
As DirecTV faces mounting pressure to reach an agreement with Disney and end the blackout (pressure that will only intensify when the NFL season kicks off), Disney has proven that it can be successful without the carrier.
Deadline
At least in the court of public opinion, Disney is winning its battle with DirecTV. How much longer the carrier can hold out remains to be seen.
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