2 million watch Hawai'i Bowl

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

The inaugural ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl was seen by more than 2.1 million households, nearly matching the combined audiences of the Western Athletic Conference's two other postseason bowls played in December.

A spokesman for ESPN, which showed the Christmas Day bowl, said the game in which Tulane beat the University of Hawai'i, 36-28, drew a 2.42 rating, which meant viewership of 2,105,128 households.

The Silicon Valley Bowl, which matched Fresno State and Georgia Tech, managed a .81 share and approximately 700,000 households while the Humanitarian Bowl, which paired Boise State and Iowa State, had a 1.83 rating and 1.5 million households. Both games were played on New Year's Eve.

"We were right in the ballpark with where we wanted to be," said Jim Donovan, director of the Hawai'i Bowl.

Among the 20 bowls shown by ESPN, the Hawai'i Bowl ranked ninth in viewership, according to the network.

"I think, for a first-year bowl, the numbers were extremely good," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president for ESPN Regional Television (ERT), which broadcasted the game.

ERT officials said while some items are still outstanding, they believe the game turned a profit. "I think once all the expenses and revenues are in, we probably had a profit," Derzis said.

"Except for the final score, it was a very, very successful first-year bowl," said Karl Benson, WAC Commissioner.