The new College Football Playoff drew a larger television audience to the championship game, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. Ohio State’s 42-20 victory over Oregon averaged nearly 33.4 million viewers on ESPN. The network said Tuesday that’s up 31 percent from the almost 25.6 million for Florida State’s win over Auburn last year in the final title game of the BCS era.
I can’t begin to imagine how much money ESPN invested into the broadcast, with dozens of its talk-show personalities setting up shop in Dallas for more than a week to help promote the game. That’s on top of the reported $500 million a year the network is paying for broadcast rights to the four-team playoff. That’s an unfathomable amount of advertising dollars coming in to cover all those expenses and still turn a profit.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14
7 p.m. — College Basketball: North Carolina at N.C. State, ESPN2
7 p.m. — College Basketball: Notre Dame at Georgia Tech, FSN
7 p.m. — College Basketball: LSU at Mississippi, SEC
7 p.m. — College Basketball: Houston at East Carolina, ESPNU
7 p.m. — College Basketball: St. John’s at Providence, FS1
7 p.m. — College Basketball: Rutgers at Maryland, BIGTEN
7 p.m. — College Basketball: SMU at Temple, CBSSN
8 p.m. — NBA: Washington at Chicago, ESPN
8 p.m. — NHL: Philadelphia at Washington, NBCSN
8 p.m. — College Basketball: Texas Tech at Kansas State, ESPNEWS
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Florida State at Pittsburgh, FSN
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Georgia at Vanderbilt, SEC
9 p.m. — College Basketball: UCLA at Southern Cal, ESPN2
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Iowa State at Baylor, ESPNU
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Xavier at Villanova, FS1
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Illinois at Northwestern, BIGTEN
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Creighton at Marquette, CBSSN
10:30 p.m. — NBA: L.A. Clippers at Portland, ESPN
11 p.m. — College Basketball: San Diego State at Wyoming, ESPN2
11 p.m. — College Basketball: Stanford at California, ESPNU
12:30 a.m. — Golf: European Abu Dhabi Championship — first round, GLF
THURSDAY, JAN. 15
1 p.m. — Golf: Latin America Amateur Championship — first round, ESPN2
6 p.m. — College Basketball: Wofford at The Citadel, 105.7 FM, 910 AM
7 p.m. — College Basketball: Cincinnati at Memphis, ESPN
7 p.m. — College Basketball: Auburn at Florida, ESPN2
7 p.m. — College Basketball: Richmond at George Washington, ESPNU
7 p.m. — Golf: PGA Sony Open — first round, GLF
7 p.m. — Women’s Basketball: Florida at Kentucky, SEC
7 p.m. — Women’s Basketball: Notre Dame at North Carolina, FSN
8 p.m. — NBA: Oklahoma City at Houston, TNT
8 p.m. — Women’s Basketball: Tennessee at Auburn, SS
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Colorado at Arizona, ESPN
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Nebraska at Wisconsin, ESPN2
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Belmont at Murray State, ESPNU
9 p.m. — Women’s Basketball: South Carolina at Missouri, SEC
10 p.m. — College Basketball: Utah at Arizona State, FS1
10:30 p.m. — NBA: Cleveland at L.A. Lakers, TNT
11 p.m. — College Basketball: BYU at Pacific, ESPNU
2:30 a.m. — Golf: European Abu Dhabi Championship — second round, GLF
FRIDAY, JAN. 16
1 p.m. — Golf: Latin America Amateur Championship — second round, ESPN2
7 p.m. — Golf: PGA Sony Open — second round, GLF
7 p.m. — NHL: Vancouver at Carolina, FSN
7 p.m. — College Basketball: Iona at Niagara, ESPNU
8 p.m. — NBA: Golden State at Oklahoma City, ESPN
9 p.m. — Boxing: Willie Monroe Jr. vs. Bryan Vera, ESPN2
9 p.m. — College Basketball: St. Francis at Robert Morris, ESPNU
10:30 p.m. — NBA: Cleveland at L.A. Clippers, ESPN
4 a.m. — Golf: European Abu Dhabi Championship — third round, GLF
SATURDAY, JAN. 17
9 a.m. — Soccer: Chelsea at Swansea City, NBCSN
10 a.m. — Golf: Latin America Amateur Championship — third round, ESPNEWS
11 a.m. — College Basketball: Tulsa at South Florida, ESPNU
Noon — College Basketball: Duke at Louisville, ESPN
Noon — College Basketball: Texas A&M at LSU, ESPN2
Noon — College Basketball: Tulane at Houston, ESPNEWS
Noon — College Basketball: Marquette at Xavier, FS1
Noon — College Basketball: Rutgers at Minnesota, BIGTEN
12:30 p.m. — Soccer: Southampton at Newcastle, 4
12:30 p.m. — College Basketball: St. Louis at Dayton, NBCSN
1 p.m. — College Basketball: Purdue at Penn State, ESPNU
1:30 p.m. — College Basketball: N.C. State at Florida State, 13
2 p.m. — College Basketball: Florida at Georgia, 7
2 p.m. — College Basketball: Virginia at Boston College, FSN
2 p.m. — College Basketball: Ohio State at Iowa, ESPN
2 p.m. — College Basketball: Miami at Notre Dame, ESPN2
2 p.m. — College Basketball: Central Florida at Memphis, ESPNEWS
2 p.m. — College Basketball: VCU at Duquesne, CBSSN
2:30 p.m. — College Basketball: Rhode Island at Massachusetts, NBCSN
3 p.m. — College Basketball: UTEP at Texas-San Antonio, 40
3 p.m. — College Basketball: Baylor at Kansas State, ESPNU
4 p.m. — College Basketball: Michigan State at Maryland, 7
4 p.m. — College Basketball: Syracuse at Clemson, 13
4 p.m. — College Basketball: Kentucky at Alabama, ESPN
4 p.m. — College Basketball: TCU at Texas Tech, ESPNEWS
4 p.m. — College Football: East-West Shrine Game, NFL
4 p.m. — College Basketball: Middle Tennessee at Louisiana Tech, FSN
4 p.m. — College Basketball: East Carolina at SMU, CBSSN
4:30 p.m. — College Basketball: George Mason at George Washington, NBCSN
5 p.m. — College Basketball: Vanderbilt at Mississippi State, SS
5 p.m. — College Basketball: Butler at Georgetown, FS1
6 p.m. — College Basketball: Tennessee at Missouri, SEC
6 p.m. — College Basketball: UNLV at San Diego State, CBSSN
6:15 p.m. — College Basketball: West Virginia at Texas, ESPN
7 p.m. — College Basketball: Oklahoma State at Oklahoma, ESPN2
7 p.m. — Golf: PGA Sony Open — third round, GLF
7 p.m. — NHL: Carolina at Ottawa, FSN
7 p.m. — College Basketball: Western Carolina at Wofford, 105.7 FM, 910 AM
7:30 p.m. — College Basketball: Temple at Cincinnati, ESPNU
7:30 p.m. — College Basketball: Providence at Creighton, FS1
8 p.m. — College Basketball: Elon at James Madison, 40
8:15 p.m. — College Basketball: Northwestern at Michigan, BIGTEN
8:30 p.m. — College Basketball: South Carolina at Auburn, SEC
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Kansas at Iowa State, ESPN
9 p.m. — College Basketball: Connecticut at Stanford, ESPN2
9:30 p.m. — College Basketball: Mississippi at Arkansas, ESPNU
10 p.m. — Motorsports: AMA Supercross, FS1
11 p.m. — College Basketball: BYU at St. Mary’s (Calif.), ESPN2
11:30 p.m. — College Basketball: Hawaii at UC Riverside, ESPNU
3:30 a.m. — Golf: European Abu Dhabi Championship — final round, GLF