ABC Blockbuster Doubleheader Exceed 10 Million+ Viewership

SEC football continues to grow larger and larger, as the ABC doubleheader this past Saturday was the first time in 28 years that a single network aired two college football games that both were able to surpass 10M+ viewers.

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The first game featured the classic rivalry between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers. The highly touted 3rd Saturday in October rivalry is no stranger to pulling in big viewership, but it was even more so expanded upon this year, with both teams being ranked inside the top 15 and having huge implications for the college football playoffs. Tennessee was able to pull away with a 24-17 win with a Will Brooks interception of Jalen Milroe with 1:24 to play. This matchup was the second most watched Alabama/Tennessee game on record, Maxing out at 14.7 Million Viewers.

Shortly after, ABC aired another blockbuster match between the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns and the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs. Taking place in Austin, Texas, the Longhorns were the favorites going into the game. However, a phenomenal performance by Georgia star running back Trevor Etienne helped Georgia pull off the upset, knocking off the number 1 team in the country and reminding everyone that despite an early loss to Alabama, they are still a force to be reckoned with. This game was ESPN Platform’s best regular season college football game since 2016, peaking at 14.1 Million viewers.

This year marks the first year of the new contract that ABC/ESPN and SEC agreed on to air all its prime-time matchups on their networks. The new deal is a 10-year deal beginning in 2024-25 and concluding in 2033-34. It runs concurrently with a 20-year agreement between ESPN and SEC that runs through 2033-34. With the SEC games bringing in record viewership, ABC is sure to be happy about the deal and will most likely continue to pursue a partnership with the top conference in college football.

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Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.