Ohio State’s Loss To Georgia Most-Watched Primetime Semifinal Since Inaugural Playoff

The 22.1 million viewers who tuned in place the the Peach Bowl among the top 20 cable telecasts of all-time.

According to ESPN Public Relations, 22.1 million viewers tuned into Ohio State’s 42-41 loss to Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Saturday night.

The @CFAPeachBowl scored 22.1 million viewers, the most-watched primetime #CFBPlayoff Semifinal since Year 1

🏈 Top 20 cable telecast all-time
🏈 Peaked at nearly 24 million viewers pic.twitter.com/bCUhxFlTce

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 2, 2023

That’s the most-watched primetime College Football Playoff semifinal since the inaugural season in 2014, when the Buckeyes’ knocked off top-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, 42-35. It was also the fourth-most watched semifinal of the playoff era, which includes afternoon kickoffs.

The ratings peaked at 23.9 million viewers between 9:45-10 p.m. ET, which was approximately the time that the Bulldogs took a three-point second-quarter lead before Xavier Johnson’s 37-yard touchdown reception gave Ohio State a 28-24 advantage heading into halftime.

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That said, the Peach Bowl ranks among the top 20 cable telecasts of all-time, as well as the top non-NFL sporting event since last year’s national championship game. By comparison, TCU’s 51-45 win over Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal drew 21.7 million viewers on Saturday.

Together, the Fiesta and Peach bowls were the most-watched non-New Year’s Day semifinal matchups since the playoff began and the best overall ratings in the last five seasons, with the audience up 28 percent from last year’s semifinals, which also took place on New Year’s Eve.

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