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6d ago

Texas–Ohio State Sets Week 1 College Football Viewership Record on Fox

Nielsen's new Big Data + Panel method underpins the figure, complicating comparisons with prior seasons.

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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

  • Ohio State’s 14–7 win over Texas averaged 16.62 million viewers on Fox and peaked at 18.57 million just after 3 p.m. ET, according to Nielsen.
  • The telecast ranks as the most-watched Week 1 college football game on record and Fox’s third-largest regular-season audience.
  • These ratings are among the first measured with Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel approach that blends connected-device data with its traditional TV panel.
  • Fox Sports executive Michael Mulvihill called the weekend the most-watched Week 1 ever and projected more than 20 billion minutes of viewing, with final figures for other marquee games still pending.
  • Front Office Sports reported that attention may have been boosted by Dave Portnoy’s Big Noon Kickoff debut and his confirmation that Ohio State barred him from entering the stadium.