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5h ago

Texas–Ohio State Delivers Record Week 1 Audience as New Nielsen Era Begins

Nielsen’s new Big Data + Panel underpins the record figures, complicating year-over-year comparisons.

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Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) tackles Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Overview

  • FOX averaged 16.6 million viewers and peaked at 18.6 million for Ohio State–Texas, the largest Week 1 college football audience on record and FOX’s third-most-watched regular-season game.
  • Ohio State defeated Texas 14–7 in the Big Noon window, reinforcing the network’s midday strategy for marquee Big Ten matchups.
  • ABC averaged 8.6 million viewers across four games, with Notre Dame–Miami (10.8M), Alabama–Florida State (10.7M) and LSU–Clemson (10.4M) each topping 10 million.
  • ESPN said it posted its best Week 1 across networks, and College GameDay set a series high with 4.0 million viewers, including a 5.7 million peak in its final quarter-hour.
  • Fox Sports executive Michael Mulvihill called it the most-watched Week 1 across networks and projected more than 20 billion total minutes viewed, as analysts note the updated Nielsen methods likely lift reported totals.