Almost 10% of All U.S. Households with TV's Tuned Into Rose Bowl Game

Tuesday’s Rose Bowl Game delivered its highest non-College Football Playoff semifinal TV ratings in the CFP’s five-year history by delivering a 9.7 household rating overnight for ESPN and ESPN2, up three percent from the 2017 Rose Bowl Game, and up 23 percent from the 2016 edition, according to industry sources.
The high ratings are now also officially New Year Six record ratings, ESPN reports.
The Ohio State Buckeyes won the match, 28-23, improving a 13-1 record to end the season, and winning its eighth Rose Bowl victory.
ESPN said the Allstate Sugar Bowl between Texas and Georgia also delivered New Year’s Six record ratings and its highest non-CFP semifinal rating as well.
Combined with the strong CFP semifinals and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl ratings on December 29, the Rose Bowl New Year’s Day ratings, as well as those of the Sugar Bowl, resulted in a new high-water mark for the New Year’s Six among years with similar calendar structure, 24/7 Sports reported.
The Rose Bowl Game peaked at 10.9 overnight late in the fourth quarter as the Washington Huskies made a late comeback attempt.
The home market for the winning team in the Rose Bowl Game was also the highest-rated market, 24/7 Sports said. Columbus, Ohio, delivered the best of the day at a rating of 42.7. With the rating, Columbus became the best individual market for the Rose Bowl since 2010, except the two seasons in which the game was a CFP Semifinal.
The New Year’s Six bowls consist of the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual, the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, and Playstation Fiesta Bowl.
The Rose Bowl Game kicked off at 2 p.m. Tuesday after the Rose Parade. A tweet by ABC Ohio Wednesday morning said the game attracted a live audience of 91,853 at the stadium.