Sport

College Football Championship Ratings Take a Dive: What Does This Mean for the Future?

2025-01-23

Author: Yan

Can there actually be too much football on TV? This might be a pivotal question as the recent decline in ratings for the college football national championship game illustrates.

According to Austin Karp from Sports Business Journal, the latest showdown between Ohio State and Notre Dame experienced a staggering 12 percent drop in viewership compared to last year’s clash between Michigan and Washington.

The official numbers show that the total audience for the 2024 title game reached 22.1 million viewers, a noticeable decrease from last year’s 25 million.

This decline doesn’t just end with college football; the NFL is feeling the heat as well.

The audience for their Wild Card round dropped by 9.5 percent this season, indicating a possible trend in viewer fatigue.

In an unprecedented move, the expanded college championship introduced five consecutive days of postseason action from January 9 to January 13.

This busy football schedule may have contributed to viewer burnout, considering that audiences had just gone through a heavy slate of NFL games.

Further compounding the issue, the NFL's divisional-round weekend also saw a drop in viewership by 8.5 percent compared to the previous year.

Traditionally, college football’s championship game wrapped up by New Year’s Day, allowing fans to savor the grand finale without competing events.

However, the shift to a four-team playoff system and now a 12-team tournament has resulted in more games coinciding with the NFL playoffs, creating a crowded sports landscape.

So, what does this mean for the future of college football? Analysts suggest this trend could push organizers to reconsider scheduling and format strategies.

As more games flood the airwaves, it could lead to a critical reassessment of how the sport engages its audience.

If football fans are truly getting overwhelmed, the implications could reverberate through the sport for years to come.

Will the love for the game endure, or are we witnessing the start of a new era where less might truly be more?