Northwestern University Athletics
Outback Bowl Sets ESPN Chicago Ratings Record
1/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 5, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's dramatic, down-to-the-wire Outback Bowl finish drew a record number of television viewers in Chicago on New Year's Day, continuing the Wildcats' presence as a strong television draw in the 2009 season.
ESPN recorded a 7.1 rating in the Chicago designated market area (DMA) for the Outback Bowl, the network's highest Chicago rating for a bowl game. The previous DMA record was Northwestern's appearance in the 2000 Alamo Bowl, which attracted a 5.2 rating.
Nationally, the 2010 Outback Bowl attracted a 4.06 rating, a strong number for a 10 a.m. CT kickoff. The national rating is a 32% increase over the 2009 Outback Bowl between Iowa and South Carolina, and the bowl's highest rating in four years.
The Wildcats' exciting fourth quarter rally from a 14 point deficit attracted additional viewers to the broadcast, which held a 5.8 rating at the end of regulation and a 6.3 rating in overtime. An average of nearly 250,000 Chicago-area households tuned in to the telecast.
Northwestern football attracted record television numbers on several occasions during the 2009 campaign. The Wildcats' come-from-behind victory at Purdue on Oct. 3 was part of the most-viewed day in Big Ten Network history, and NU's dramatic victory over Wisconsin on Nov. 21 also scored a strong rating on BTN.
