Much of the nation apparently enjoyed a HiDef experience with ESPN Monday night with the Tostitos Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship being watched by more than any program in the history of cable television.
An average of 27,316,000 viewers (P2+) and 17,718,000 households watched Auburn beat Oregon on an unusual play within the last minute, trouncing the previous record set by ESPN Monday Night Football on Oct. 5, 2009 (Green Bay at Minnesota) with 21,839,000 viewers (P2+) and 15,136,000 homes, based on a 15.3 coverage rating.
The rating for the U.S. television universe, 15.3, is higher than four of the past 12 BCS title games; the 27+ million viewers is higher than eight of the 12. Among men 18-34, it was higher than 11 of the 12 games from 1999 – 2010.
More than 619,000 unique viewers watched the game via ESPN3.com, more than double the previous record for a college football game and fourth all-time behind three 2010 FIFA World Cup contests (source: Adobe). Usage in visits, page views and total minutes on the day on ESPN.com and the ESPN Mobile Web saw increases ranging from 26% to 60% across all categories.
ESPN’s first year of exclusive coverage of the five BCS matchups comprised ESPN, ESPN Radio and ESPN3.com presenting all five BCS Bowl games with ESPN 3D providing exclusive 3D coverage of the Tositios Fiesta Bowl and Tostitos BCS National Championship Game.
— By Scott Hettrick