Ohio State has another National Championship under its belt, and 22.1M people tuned in to watch the Buckeyes defeat Notre Dame for the title on Monday.
That’s a pretty strong number, even though it is down from last year’s 24.3M. According to ESPN, this year’s matchup peaked from 8:30 to 8:45 p.m. ET, about halfway through the game, with 26.1M viewers.
Also, unlike last year, it was the most-watched game of the newly expanded Playoff. Michigan’s 2024 defeat of the Washington Huskies was overshadowed by the team’s Rose Bowl win over Alabama.
Monday’s game is also well above the title game in 2023, when 17M tuned in to watch Georgia win against TCU. But, Georgia also won by more than 50 points, and viewership does tend to decline for blowouts.
This year’s game was a fairly close one, which certainly worked in its favor to keep audiences engaged. On the other hand, while it didn’t compete directly with the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the National Championship game did likely volley for at least some attention with the media coverage of that event.
The 2025 National Championship does hold the title of most-watched college football matchup this season, albeit just barely. Ohio State’s Rose Bowl win over Oregon came in at 21.09M viewers, claiming second place.
As usual, the playoff games generated some of the biggest viewership of the season, but there were a few regular season games that managed impressive audiences, including Michigan-Ohio State, which cracked 12M viewers.
