ESPN wants next year's CFP moved off of New Year's Eve

[TrueOrange]

According to the report, ESPN executives want CFP officials to move next season’s semifinals from New Year’s Eve due to competition with countdown shows on other networks.

This year’s semifinal games between Oregon and Florida State in the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl with Ohio State and Alabama were played on Jan. 1.

Next year’s semifinals at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl are scheduled for Dec. 31, but ESPN wants those games moved to Jan. 2. The games cannot be played on Jan. 1 because the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are locked in to New Year's Day.

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[Lawrence Wright]

You'd think after spending over $7B for the rights to air the CFP, ESPN could work minor details like...when the freaking game is played?

 

[golfballs]

I hope they don't change it. I hate having to get up early for work after these late bowl games

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Isn't it about time we stopped planning everything around the freakin' Rose Bowl? It's not the 60s anymore.

 

[Dave1967]

Euck FSPN!

 

[UTwild82]

Didn't they play them on New Years Day this year?

 

[Boston Vol]

Didn't they play them on New Years Day this year?

Yes but that's because the Rose Bowl was one of the semifinals. The Rose Bowl has to be played on Jan 1.

 

[TrueOrange]

Yes but that's because the Rose Bowl was one of the semifinals. The Rose Bowl has to be played on Jan 1.

As does the Sugar Bowl.

 

[Sin City Vol]

This has something to do with the actual day the game is played on and not necessarily the date

 

[Vol8188]

They're trying to move Phil?

Good luck with that.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

This has something to do with the actual day the game is played on and not necessarily the date

Um, what?

 

[TrueOrange]

They're trying to move Phil?

Good luck with that.

Well done.

 

[TrueOrange]

This has something to do with the actual day the game is played on and not necessarily the date

 

[Sin City Vol]

Haha Ron Burgandy...the radio here said something about ESPN wanting it on that Thursday and not Friday...no link just heard it on my way home from work.

 

[TrueOrange]

Haha Ron Burgandy...the radio here said something about ESPN wanting it on that Thursday and not Friday...no link just heard it on my way home from work.

The semi-finals are currently scheduled for December 31, 2016. That's a Thursday.

Because they feel they're likely going to lose potentiall viewers to the main network New Year's Eve countdowns (along with New Year's parties, etc), ESPN wants them to move the games to January 2 of that year, which is a Saturday.


The Rose and Sugar Bowls have a contractual requirement to be played/shown on New Year's Day, which is Friday next year. The Orange and Cotton Bowls are scheduled to be next year's semi-final games, also.

Since ESPN has the rights to be the only one showing all of these games, there was not really any way to begin with that they could plan to air all four on the same day that Friday (it took from 1pm until around 11 pm - I think - to air and analyze just three this year) without starting to air one was early as 9:00/9:30 AM or as late as 11:30pm/12:00 AM.

 

[TrueOrange]

I wonder if all this had to do with the ratings for this year's Orange Bowl.

Anyone know how it did?

 

[Sin City Vol]

The semi-finals are currently scheduled for December 31, 2016. That's a Thursday.

Because they feel they're likely going to lose potentiall viewers to the main network New Year's Eve countdowns (along with New Year's parties, etc), ESPN wants them to move the games to January 2 of that year, which is a Saturday.


The Rose and Sugar Bowls have a contractual requirement to be played/shown on New Year's Day, which is Friday next year. The Orange and Cotton Bowls are scheduled to be next year's semi-final games, also.

Since ESPN has the rights to be the only one showing all of these games, there was not really any way to begin with that they could plan to air all four on the same day that Friday (it took from 1pm until around 11 pm - I think - to air and analyze just three this year) without starting to air one was early as 9:00/9:30 AM or as late as 11:30pm/12:00 AM.

that's pretty much what I heard...thanks

 

[Neyland Law Vol]

I wonder if all this had to do with the ratings for this year's Orange Bowl.

Anyone know how it did?

Orange bowl had bad ratings:

Capping off a weak start to the New Year’s Six, the Orange Bowl earned its second-worst rating in over twenty years.

CFB Bowl Ratings: Orange Bowl Second-Lowest Rated Since ’93 — Sports Media Watch


By contrast, the Playoff games were the most watched program in Cable TV history. So ESPN did pretty good.

The inaugural college football playoffs generated the largest audiences in cable television history.

cfbplayoffThe Alabama/Ohio State Sugar Bowl drew a 15.2 final rating and 28.3 million viewers on ESPN Thursday afternoon, marking the largest audience in cable history. The previous high was set earlier in the day by the Oregon/Florida State Rose Bowl, which drew a 14.8 and 28.2 million.

Prior to this year, the all-time cable record was 27.3 million for the Auburn/Oregon BCS National Championship Game in 2011. College football now accounts for the six largest cable television audiences, and ESPN holds the top eighteen.

CFB Playoff Ratings: Sugar and Rose Bowls Most-Watched Cable Programs Ever — Sports Media Watch

 

[VolCowboy]

Rose bowl is a joke. Needs to moved off New Years day or just don't air it. No one cares about the 2nd best big 10 and pac 12 teams anyway