Penn State-Ole Miss Peach Bowl Drew a Big Streaming Audience, ESPN Says

The 2023 Peach Bowl is the No. 3 most-streamed college football game on ESPN+, the network says.

The Peach Bowl drew 7.8 million viewers to its Dec. 30 game between Penn State and Ole Miss, ranking fifth among the New Year's 6 bowl games, according to ESPN. But the game also generated one of the largest streaming audiences ever for college football in ESPN+ history. 

The Peach Bowl, which aired at noon ET from Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, became the No. 3 most-streamed college football game in ESPN+ history, the network said in a news release. ESPN did not release streaming numbers.

Ole Miss defeated Penn State 38-25 in the Peach Bowl, generating 540 yards of offense against a Nittany Lions' defense that was without three starters for the game. The Peach Bowl announced a sold-out attendance figure of 71,230 for the game.

Peach Bowl viewership was significantly ahead of the Fiesta Bowl, which drew 4.7 million for its game between Liberty and Oregon, but well behind that of the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl. Here's a look at the New Year's 6 bowl viewership numbers, according to ESPN.

Rose Bowl: The semifinal between Michigan and Alabama drew 27.7 million viewers, more than Monday's championship game between Michigan and Washington (25 million).

Sugar Bowl: The semifinal between Washington and Texas drew 18.7 million viewers.

Orange Bowl: Georgia's 63-3 win over an opt-out depleted Florida State still drew 10.4 million viewers on Dec. 30.

Cotton Bowl: Missouri's win over Ohio State on Dec. 29 generated 9.7 million viewers, the best "stand-alone, prime-time" numbers for a New Year's 6 game since 2016, according to ESPN.

Fiesta Bowl: The Jan. 1 game drew 4.7 million viewers, 2.1 million fewer than Tennessee's 35-0 victory over Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, which kicked off at the same time on ABC. 

Overall bowl viewership on ESPN increased 5 percent over last year, the network said in a news release.

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