The sports world was intrigued by the 16-0 rags-to-riches IU football story.
Indiana’s national championship win over Miami was the second-most watched College Football Playoff final of all-time.
The ESPN telecast drew an average of 30.1 million viewers and peaked at 33.2 million, the network announced on Thursday. Those figures represent a significant jump over last year’s average of 22.2 million for the Notre Dame vs. Ohio State CFP final.
It was the most-watched college football game since the 2014-15 season, and the second most-watched cable telecast on record.
The game was also the most-viewed non-NFL sports telecast since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
Previously, Indiana’s CFP quarterfinal win over Alabama at the Rose Bowl averaged 23.9 million viewers, a then new record for the 12-team field.
The Peach Bowl between Indiana and Oregon was the highest-rated of the semifinals, averaging 18.0 million viewers and peaking at 21.4 million viewers. It was a top-3 audience for the Peach Bowl on record.
And the Big Ten Football Championship Game drew 18,332,000 viewers, making it the most-watched college football conference championship game of all-time.
