Iceland12
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Other notable games there include Penn State-Ohio State, Notre Dame-Michigan State, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, and Texas-USC. But it’s the Ohio State – Michigan one that really matters. That game last year (with the Buckeyes ranked second and the Wolverines ranked third) drew a 10.4 overnight rating on ABC, the best of the college football season, the best noon kickoff rating on record, and the second-best regular-season CFB number in any slot ever for ABC (behind, shockingly, another Michigan – Ohio State game in 2006). It’s not going to hit quite those heights every year, of course, especially if one or both of the teams is struggling, but this is one of the most-watched matchups in college football regardless of the implications, and it can produce some mammoth ratings when the stakes are high. ..
Having that game switch networks is a big deal, and that’s why Fox outbid ESPN for the Tier 1 rights ($240 million annually versus $190 million). Both networks will show the same amount of games each year (25 football and 50 basketball), but Fox gets the first pick every year (ESPN gets second, Fox gets third and so on), so they can take Ohio State – Michigan in perpetuity for the life of the contract (presuming they’d want to, but it seems unlikely anything else will come close in terms of ratings). The Tier 1 rights aren’t just about Ohio State – Michigan, of course; they also include the Big Ten championship game and a few other notable things. But grabbing this matchup is a huge part of why Fox was willing to pay more for what’s mostly the same number of games.
http://awfulannouncing.com/fox/ohio-state-michigan-officially-fox-coaches-promoting-network.html
Having that game switch networks is a big deal, and that’s why Fox outbid ESPN for the Tier 1 rights ($240 million annually versus $190 million). Both networks will show the same amount of games each year (25 football and 50 basketball), but Fox gets the first pick every year (ESPN gets second, Fox gets third and so on), so they can take Ohio State – Michigan in perpetuity for the life of the contract (presuming they’d want to, but it seems unlikely anything else will come close in terms of ratings). The Tier 1 rights aren’t just about Ohio State – Michigan, of course; they also include the Big Ten championship game and a few other notable things. But grabbing this matchup is a huge part of why Fox was willing to pay more for what’s mostly the same number of games.
http://awfulannouncing.com/fox/ohio-state-michigan-officially-fox-coaches-promoting-network.html