2020 ACC Championship Game Tops Record Books as Most-Viewed ACC Championship of All Time, Averaging 10,180,000 Viewers

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2020 ACC Championship Game Tops Record Books as Most-Viewed ACC Championship of All Time, Averaging 10,180,000 Viewers

The 2020 ACC Championship Game between then-No. 2 Notre Dame and then-No. 3 Clemson was one for the record books, as the rematch between the Fighting Irish and Tigers registered 10,180,000 viewers across all TV and streaming platforms to rank as the most-viewed conference championship game this weekend and the most-viewed ACC Championship of all time.

Excluding additional streaming on the ESPN App, the ACC Championship Game averaged 9,919,000 viewers on ABC, up 149 percent year-over-year. Saturday’s ACC Championship marks the first time since 2007 that ABC aired the most-viewed conference championship game across all networks.

Saturday’s ACC Championship audience peaked with 11,646,000 viewers from 5:15 – 5:30 p.m. ET, as Clemson scored in the closing seconds of the first half to take a 24-3 lead heading into halftime. Saturday’s conference championship game was nearly flat from the teams’ regular season meeting, a 2OT thriller in November, and ranks as the second-most viewed college football game of the season.

As expected, Greenville (22.9) was the top-rated market followed by Birmingham (22.7). The ACC Championship host city, Charlotte, registered a 12.9 local rating, with the top 10 available markets reaching double digits Saturday:

Rank Market Local Rating
1 Greenville 22.9
2 Birmingham 22.7
3 Oklahoma City 15.7
4 Columbus 14.9
5 Tulsa 14.2
6 Charlotte 12.9
7 Atlanta 11.9
8 Knoxville 11
9 Cleveland 10.5
10 Cincinnati 10.4

Both Notre Dame and Clemson are set for the College Football Playoff semifinals on Friday, Jan. 1. The No. 4 Fighting Irish take on top-ranked Alabama from Arlington, Texas at the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One at 4 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Radio and the ESPN App. No. 2 Clemson faces No. 3 Ohio State at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at 8 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Radio and the ESPN App.

Amanda Brooks

Amanda is the Senior Director of Communications overseeing publicity strategy for ESPN’s entire college sports portfolio, including college football and the College Football Playoff, 40+ NCAA Championships and ESPN's college networks. Amanda is a proud alum of Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., and earned her master's in ethics from Vanderbilt University. A native of Kent, Ohio, she is a die-hard Cleveland Guardians fan.
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