"Decline in Viewership for CFP's 12-Team Structure"
Television ratings for the College Football Playoff semifinals experienced a decrease of approximately 17 percent in the inaugural season of the expanded 12-team format.
Compared to the previous four-team CFP, the games took place later in January and garnered an average of 19.2 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU last weekend.
According to Sports Business Journal, this was the lowest average since a New Year's Eve doubleheader in the 2021 season, which drew an audience of 16.9 million.
Last season, the average was 22.6 million when the two semifinal games were broadcasted on New Year's Day.
Friday night's Cotton Bowl, where Ohio State defeated Texas 28-14, had an average of 20.6 million viewers, while Thursday night's Orange Bowl, where Notre Dame beat Penn State 27-24, had an audience of 17.8 million.
According to Sports Business Journal, the Ohio State-Texas game was the most-viewed Cotton Bowl in history and also had the highest Friday night audience on any network in the past four years.
The viewership numbers for the CFP have steadily increased throughout this postseason, starting at 10.6 million in the first round, then 16.9 million in the quarterfinals, and finally reaching 19.2 million in the semifinals.
On Monday, the eighth-seeded Fighting Irish (14-1) and seventh-seeded Buckeyes (13-2) will face off in Atlanta for the national championship.
