** Disclaimer: This is a post for fans interested in the business/tv side of sports. For those not interested, simply ignore this thread instead of hijacking it into how you don't give a sh*t about the ratings...
Through the first two weeks of the season, Pitt's TV viewership has been...not good. In Week 1 vs Kent State which broadcasted on ESPNU, total viewership was 82,000. In Week 2 vs Cincy, broadcasting on ESPN2, total viewership was 304,000.
In 2023, Pitt's average viewership was 690,000, good for 56th in the FBS. In 2022, Pitt's average viewership was 650,000, still good for 56th in the FBS. In 2021, Pitt's average viewership was 550,000, good for 54th in the FBS. So Pitt's TV ratings through the first two weeks are well below average.
Our opponents haven't been great to start the year, but I was hoping Pitt could draw a little better than what they did since they played on national networks. The Cincinnati game was a little surprising to me given that it was a rivalry game (though a lesser one) and there was an exciting finish. It's straight embarrassing that Pitt drew below 100k views for Kent State. I think any P4 team would "aspire" to be a bigger draw than 100k viewers at a minimum, though besides winning they don't have much to do with that.
Pitt will get a huge boost this Saturday playing in the Backyard Brawl. In 2022, TBB drew 3.15 million viewers on ESPN on a Thursday night game, albeit being ESPN's opener for the new CFB season. In 2023, TBB drew 2.41 million viewers, which is a little concerning since it occupied a primetime slot on ABC (though that game was borderline unwatchable for the general public).
TV Ratings Week 1
TV Ratings Week 2
2023 Average Viewership by Team
2022 Average Viewership by Team
2021 Average Viewership by Team
Through the first two weeks of the season, Pitt's TV viewership has been...not good. In Week 1 vs Kent State which broadcasted on ESPNU, total viewership was 82,000. In Week 2 vs Cincy, broadcasting on ESPN2, total viewership was 304,000.
In 2023, Pitt's average viewership was 690,000, good for 56th in the FBS. In 2022, Pitt's average viewership was 650,000, still good for 56th in the FBS. In 2021, Pitt's average viewership was 550,000, good for 54th in the FBS. So Pitt's TV ratings through the first two weeks are well below average.
Our opponents haven't been great to start the year, but I was hoping Pitt could draw a little better than what they did since they played on national networks. The Cincinnati game was a little surprising to me given that it was a rivalry game (though a lesser one) and there was an exciting finish. It's straight embarrassing that Pitt drew below 100k views for Kent State. I think any P4 team would "aspire" to be a bigger draw than 100k viewers at a minimum, though besides winning they don't have much to do with that.
Pitt will get a huge boost this Saturday playing in the Backyard Brawl. In 2022, TBB drew 3.15 million viewers on ESPN on a Thursday night game, albeit being ESPN's opener for the new CFB season. In 2023, TBB drew 2.41 million viewers, which is a little concerning since it occupied a primetime slot on ABC (though that game was borderline unwatchable for the general public).
TV Ratings Week 1
TV Ratings Week 2
2023 Average Viewership by Team
2022 Average Viewership by Team
2021 Average Viewership by Team
