The 2021 FCS semifinals had its biggest TV audience in years last weekend, seeing its highest numbers in more than a decade.
Friday’s JMU at NDSU semifinal game on ESPN2 drew an average of 1.15 million viewers, per ShowBuzzDaily. Saturday’s SDSU at Montana State game on ESPN2 drew an average of 795K viewers. JMU-NDSU was the most-watched semifinal game dating back to 2009, and SDSU-Montana State was the most-watched Saturday semifinal game since 2009.
Semifinal Viewership
2021 Fall Semifinals:
NDSU vs. JMU (ESPN2) — 1.15 million
Montana State vs. SDSU (ESPN2) — 795K
2021 Spring Semifinals:
JMU vs. SHSU (ABC) — 706K
Delaware vs. SDSU (ESPN) — 520K
2019 Semifinals:
Montana State vs. NDSU (ESPN2) — 518K
2018 Semifinals:
SDSU vs. NDSU (ESPN2) — 846K
Maine vs. EWU (ESPN2) — 448K
Saturday’s Celebration Bowl between SC State and Jackson State on ABC had 2.59 million viewers, up from 1.8 million viewers in 2019 and 2.3 million viewers in 2018.
For comparison to the weekend’s bowl games, the Cure Bowl leading up to Friday’s semifinal game drew 1.27M viewers. ESPN had a Friday noon kickoff for the Bahamas Bowl, which drew 851K viewers.
Saturday saw two bowl games on ABC (3.22M and 2.89M) and four bowl games on ESPN (1.62M, 1.52M, 1.23M, and 1.07M).
This year’s FCS quarterfinals also drew strong numbers: JMU vs. Montana on ESPN2 had 666K, and NDSU vs. ETSU on ESPN had 1.77 million.
The FCS championship game is set for 11 a.m. CT on Jan. 8 and will air on ESPN2. Past title game viewership:
2021 Spring Championship:
SDSU vs. SHSU (ABC) — 905K
2019 Championship:
NDSU vs. JMU (ABC) — 2.68 million
2018 Championship:
NDSU vs. EWU (ESPN2) — 1.00 million
2017 Championship:
NDSU vs. JMU (ESPN2) — 1.52 million
2016 Championship:
JMU vs. YSU (ESPN2) — 1.56 million
2015 Championship:
NDSU vs. Jacksonville State (ESPN2) — 1.35 million
2014 Championship:
NDSU vs. Illinois State (ESPN2) — 1.44 million
2013 Championship:
NDSU vs. Towson (ESPN2) — 1.2 million
2012 Championship:
NDSU vs. SHSU (ESPN2) — 1.1 million
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