ESPN broadcast draws big, cross-platform numbers
9/1/2015 10:02:00 PM | Football
Nearly 1 million people tuned in to ESPN to watch the Montana Grizzlies defeat the North Dakota State Bison in a thrilling encounter at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
It was the fourth most watched sporting event in the entire nation on Aug. 29 according to sportstvratings.com. It also outperformed the New York Yankees/Atlanta Braves game, and other noteworthy broadcasts. Considering two of the three events that earned a better rating were broadcast in prime time, the Griz put on a show in front of seemingly the whole football-starved nation over four pulsating hours.
From the torrent of social media surrounding the action on the field, you'd have sworn you were watching the Super Bowl.
The preseason ESPN broadcast averaged a respectable 0.7 household rating and 981,000 viewers according to ESPN, outperforming last year's FCS kickoff game between Eastern Washington and Sam Houston State, which drew a 0.5 rating.
ESPN rolled out its big guns for the broadcast, brining in legendary play-by-play caller Brent Musburger from down the road Hamilton, and the entire "SEC Game of the Week" crew that included Jesse Palmer and Maria Taylor.
Numbers like this can be considered game changing for institutions like Montana, who remain tucked away in the northern Rocky Mountains, away from major media markets. But Saturday's game crossed those borders, and opened up UM to the world.
"It was a great result, it was a great atmosphere, it made for great TV, and great drama," said UM Director of Athletics Kent Haslam.
"It also gave us the chance to showcase the entire university through the lens of a college football game, that no doubt will help our entire institution build our brand world wide."
Saturday's game was more than just TV ratings. In the days of digital media coinciding, and often times usurping traditional broadcast traffic, The Montana Grizzly athletic department digital channels experienced never before seen growth.
"That's the exciting part about college athletics. It gives you a platform to tell your story, and we couldn't have asked for a better result on Saturday," added Haslam.
In the seven days surrounding the Aug. 29 game, the official Montana Grizzlies Facebook page reached 1.1 million people, up 301.3 percent from the week previous.
The most popular post on that page (a graphic showing the final score) had an organic reach of 544,400 people, received 25,300 post clicks, was shared 2,798 times and received 8,940 likes.
1,911 new people "liked" the page over the last week as well, up 226.2% from the week previous.
That's nearly 2,000 potential new recruits, students, boosters or even just fans that want to buy a Griz t-shirt. The economic impact from the game is real, and with social media, more measureable than ever compared to traditional ratings metrics.
FINAL: Your University of Montana Grizzlies have defeated the North Dakota State Bison 38-35! GoGriz PrideOfMT #FCSKickOff
Posted by Montana Grizzlies on Saturday, August 29, 2015
The Montana Grizzlies Facebook page was not the only digital channel to see a major increase in traffic. The Montana football team's twitter feed (@UMGRIZZLIES_FB) became home to a frenzy of activity during the broadcast, as fans, players, and even the Nebraska Cornhuskers coaching staff took to twitter to cheer on the Griz.
In the month of August, @UMGRIZZLIES_FB received 989 new followers, 1.16 million impressions (up 485 percent from July), 1,185 mentions (up 1,147 percent from the month previous).
TV markets around the country tuned in to watch the Griz, expanding traditional recruiting territories as well.
The top five markets watching the Griz include viewers in Birmingham, Alabama who had more viewers than in any other major market in the country with a 2.4 rating, followed by Columbus, Ohio with a 1.8, Nashville, Tennessee with a 1.6, Atlanta, Georgia with a 1.5 and Oklahoma City with a 1.5 as well.
Rounding off the top 10 markets watching the game were Tulsa (1.4), Minneapolis-St. Paul (1.4), Ft. Meyers (1.3), Jacksonville (1.2) and San Diego (1.1).
This FCS Kickoff game did not produce Montana's largest TV audience though. The instant classic FCS semifinal in the snow between the Griz and Appalachian State in 2009 drew a strong 1.87 rating, with 1,857,000 households tuning in. However that was also a game that benefited from prime time placement during late-season football fervor.
While it's clear the impact of this year's game on Montana's viewership was strong, what will take time to measure in the overall impact on the University, Missoula, and Montana.
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