2009 TV Ratings For Bowl Games...

[CajunNation]

...and they're ugly.

http://sportsmediawatch.blogspot.com...bers-game.html

Ratings/viewership for 2008-09 bowl games.
*: indicates coverage area ratings; viewership totals from nielsenwire.com
Saturday, December 20
2.2*, 2.9 mil: EagleBank Bowl, WF/Navy (11 AM ESPN)
2.6*, 3.4 mil: New Mexico Bowl, Colorado St./Fresno St. (2:30 PM ESPN)
1.3*, 1.7 mil: St. Petersburg Bowl, Memphis/S. Florida (4:30 PM ESPN2)
2.5*, 3.4 mil: Las Vegas Bowl, Arizona/BYU (8 PM ESPN)

Sunday, December 21
0.8*, 1.2 mil: New Orleans Bowl, Southern Miss/Troy (8:15 PM ESPN)

Tuesday, December 23
3.2, 5.1 mil: Poinsettia Bowl, Boise St./TCU (8 PM ESPN)

Wednesday, December 24
2.6, 4.4 mil: Hawaii Bowl, Notre Dame/Hawaii (8 PM ESPN)

Friday, December 26
--, 3.4 mil: Motor City, FAU/Central Michigan (7:30 PM ESPN)

Saturday, December 27
3.9, 5.9 mil: Meineke Car Care, West Virginia/UNC (1 PM ESPN)
4.5, 7.1 mil: Champs Sports, Wisconsin/Florida St. (4:30 PM ESPN)
4.0, 6.5 mil: Emerald, Miami/California (8 PM ESPN)

Sunday, December 28
1.0*, 1.2 mil: Independence, Northern Illinois/Louisiana Tech (8:15 PM ESPN)

Monday, December 29
--, 2.4 mil: Papa Johns.com, Rutgers/N.C. State (3 PM ESPN)
3.9, 6.1 mil: Alamo, Missouri/Northwestern (8 PM ESPN)

Tuesday, December 30
2.1, 3.0 mil: Humanitarian, Maryland/Nevada (4:30 PM ESPN)
3.9, 6.2 mil: Holiday, Oklahoma St./Oregon (8 PM ESPN)
--, 0.2 mil: Texas, Rice/Western Michigan (8 PM NFL Network)

Wednesday, December 31
--, 2.1 mil: Armed Forces, Houston/Air Force (12 PM ESPN)
2.2, 3.5 mil: Sun, Oregon St./Pittsburgh (2 PM CBS)
2.4, 3.6 mil: Music City, Boston College/Vanderbilt (3:30 PM ESPN)
--, 0.7 mil: Insight, Kansas/Minnesota (5:30 PM NFL Network)
3.4, 5.6 mil: Chick-Fil-A, LSU/Georgia Tech (7:30 PM ESPN)

Thursday, January 1
2.6, 4.1 mil: Outback, Iowa/South Carolina (11 AM ESPN)
6.4, 10.8 mil: Capital One, Georgia/Michigan St. (1 PM ABC)
4.1, 6.6 mil: Gator, Nebraska/Clemson (1 PM CBS)
11.7, 20.6 mil: Rose, USC/Penn St. (5 PM ABC)
5.4, 9.3 mil: Orange, Cincinnati/Virginia Tech (8:30 PM FOX)

Friday, January 2
4.3, 6.4 mil: Cotton, Ole Miss/Texas Tech (2 PM FOX)
2.3, 3.6 mil: Liberty, Kentucky/ECU (5 PM ESPN)
7.8, 13.4 mil: Sugar, Utah/Alabama (8 PM FOX)

Saturday, January 3
1.8, 2.7 mil: International, Buffalo/Connecticut (12 PM ESPN2)

Monday, January 5
10.4, 17.1 mil: Fiesta, Texas/Ohio St. (8 PM FOX)

Tuesday, January 6
--, 2.8 mil: GMAC, Tulsa/Ball St. (8 PM ESPN)

Thursday, January 8
15.8, 26.8 mil: BCS National Championship Game, Florida/Oklahoma (8 PM FOX)

Most viewed non-BCS bowl games in 2008-09.
10.8 mil: Capital One Bowl (Thu., 1/1/09, 1 PM ABC)
7.1 mil: Champs Sports Bowl (Sat., 12/27/08, 4:30 PM ESPN)
6.6 mil: Gator Bowl (Thu., 1/1/09, 1 PM CBS)
6.5 mil: Emerald Bowl (Sat., 12/27/08, 8 PM ESPN)
6.4 mil: Cotton Bowl (Fri., 1/2/09, 2 PM FOX)

Biggest increases for bowl games in 2008-09.
+218%: Humanitarian Bowl (from 745,000 to 3.0 mil)
+119%: Hawaii Bowl (from 2.0 mil to 4.4 mil)
+115%: Poinsettia Bowl (from 2.4 mil to 5.1 mil)
+113%: GMAC Bowl (from 1.3 mil to 2.8 mil)
+64%: Gator Bowl (from 4.0 mil to 6.6 mil)

Biggest declines for bowl games in 2008-09.
-64%: Texas Bowl (from 520,000 to 186,000)
-53%: Independence Bowl (from 2.6 mil to 1.2 mil)
-33%: Liberty Bowl (from 5.4 mil to 3.6 mil)
-31%: Music City Bowl (from 5.3 mil to 3.6 mil)
-29%: New Orleans Bowl (from 1.6 mil to 1.1 mil)

[UL_Cajuns]

Indy was second biggest decline.
Texas Bowl was the biggest decline. I don't think the NFL network should be in the business of Bowls games. Most people don't get it, and plus it is the NFL Network, not the College Football Network.

[HoustonCajun]

_ Indy was second biggest decline.
Texas Bowl was the biggest decline. I don't think the NFL network should be in the business of Bowls games. Most people don't get it, and plus it is the NFL Network, not the College Football Network. _

The Indy Bowl didn't fare any better than the N.O. Bowl. So, getting NIU in there to secure the Chicago market didn't really work. They had no larger an audience than USM vs. Troy, both regional teams about the same distance from each other as UL and LA Tech.

[MetryCajun]

These numbers tell you under no circumstances do you want two non-BCS teams playing in your bowl. We all like to rag on the big boys, but it is obvious why the networks love them.