ESPN Scores 24.3 Million Viewers for Clemson-Alabama Game

ESPN’s thriller Clemson-Alabama College Football Playoff National Championship game telecast drew 24.3 million viewers, slightly below last year’s matchup between the two schools.

While the game fell short of the 25 million viewers who tuned into the 2016 CFP Championshp contest, the Clemson-Alabama rematch was arguably more exciting than last year’s gripping game, with the Tigers pulling off the 35-31 upset over the Crimson Tide with a touchdown in the final seconds of the game.

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With additional TV feeds and streaming, the network said it reached 26 million viewers. In addition, the network said it averaged 16 million viewers for all seven New Year’s eve telecasts as well as the national championship game, up 15% from last season’s seven game total.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.