ATLANTA – The initial TV rankings are in and the Celebration Bowl took a sizable dip in ratings.
The Celebration Bowl posted its smallest audience in its history, according to Sports Media Watch. The game pulled in a TV rating of .9 with average viewership of 1.51 million. It was the third-ranked bowl in the opening week, but the lowest of the three games broadcast on ABC. Those numbers represented a drop of 34 percent on the rating and 38 percent on average viewership.
It did, however, have higher rankings than ESPN games featuring Power Five programs like Cal and Texas Tech. The game also went up against NFL competition and Celebration Bowl Executive Director told HBCU Gameday that the bowl game was simulcast for the first time.
“It was on ABC. We simulcast it on ESPN Plus and we simulcast it on our Hispanic network,” Grant said. “It was the first year that we’ve ever done that. That an added value – in Spanish. So that helps us reach another audience with that game.”
The game itself was a thriller, as Florida A&M came back from a double-digit first quarter deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter before having to rally again after Howard University’s defensive touchdown. It would go on to win the game 30-26.
Celebration Bowl ratings history
Saturday’s Celebration Bowl was the eighth in the history of the game between the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The 2022 game featuring Deion Sanders and Jackson State against North Carolina Central had a rating of 1.42 and drew an average viewership of 2.42 million on ABC, according to Showbuzz Daily.
For comparison, the 2021 Celebration Bowl received a 1.61 rating and had 2.59 million viewers, the second most in the game’s history. The 2019 Celebration Bowl received a 1.23 rating with 1.8 million viewers as North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State got into a shootout. The 2018 game between North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State held a 1.61 rating but had a smaller viewership number with 2.35 million viewers.
The 2017 game between North Carolina A&T and Grambling had a 1.59 rating with 2.36 million viewers. The 2016 Celebration Bowl between Grambling State and North Carolina Central had a rating of 1.83 with 2.71 million viewers – the most in the game’s history. The inaugural game between North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State remains the high mark in terms of ratings with 1.89 as 2.5 million people watched the inaugural game.