TV Viewers Weren’t Bowled Over by the Games on New Year’s Day

The overnight television ratings for the New Year’s Day bowl games indicate that fewer people were watching than a year ago.

National Nielsen ratings won’t be out until later, but the overnight figures for the 24 largest markets are a good barometer.

The Orange Bowl dropped from a 19.8 overnight rating and a 30% share of the audience on Jan. 1, 1990, to 18.6 and 29%.

The Rose Bowl went from a 15.1 rating to a 13.0, the Hall of Fame Bowl from a 9.3 rating to a 5.4, the Fiesta Bowl from 8.2 to 5.6 and the Sugar Bowl from 7.4 to 4.2. The Cotton Bowl increased from 7.1 to 9.6 and the Citrus Bowl from 7.0 to 9.3.

In the late 1970s, the top bowl games were getting ratings in the high 20s. In 1978, the Orange Bowl, in which Oklahoma played Arkansas, got a national rating of 27.7 and a 41% share, and the Rose Bowl, with Washington and Michigan, drew a 29.2 and a 46%.

The Los Angeles ratings: Orange 18.0, Rose 17.2, Citrus 8.3, Cotton 6.5, Hall of Fame 4.3, Fiesta 4.0 and Sugar 3.7.