Colorado’s ‘Prime Effect’ Is Wearing Off for TV Networks
Fewer national TV broadcasts loom for Colorado following a 3—9 season.
Colorado's college football TV viewership, once a major draw for networks like ABC, ESPN, Fox Sports and TNT Sports, appears to have lost its luster in recent years. Following a 3-9 season in 2023, the Buffaloes may struggle to maintain their TV appeal, especially if they start the 2026 campaign slowly, according to sources speaking with Front Office Sports.
The "Prime Effect" of coach Deion Sanders, who took over in 2023 and brought star players Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, has faded despite Sanders' NFL Hall of Fame pedigree and Super Bowl credentials. ESPN's coverage of Colorado games dropped from an average of 6.1 million viewers in 2023 to 3.4 million the following year and further to 2 million last season.
Fox's broadcast and FS1 averaged 4.7 million and 3.8 million viewers respectively during the same period. The Buffaloes have secured two games for ESPN (Sept. 3 vs. Georgia Tech and Nov. 13 vs. Houston) and one on ESPN+ (Sept. 12 vs. Weber State), while Fox/FS1 will broadcast their game against Northwestern on Sept. 19. However, with Colorado ranked 15th among 16 teams in a preseason Big 12 media poll, and the school not ranked in the AP's preseason Top 25, optimism for the program's TV future appears slim.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
