Dive Brief:

• ESPN revealed hopes last month that the NCAA inaugural football playoffs would yield ad results similar to the Super Bowl or March Madness -- and its dreams may be coming true. 
• The playoffs—which end with the first-ever championship game Monday night—are pulling in $800,000 to $1 million for a 30-second spot. 
• Ratings for the playoffs drew in 28 million households for the most-watched cable TV show ever, and are likely to only be eclipsed by the Super Bowl, NFL playoffs, and the Oscars this year. 

Dive Insight:

College football fans have been begging for a playoff systems for years so it's no surprise the ratings have gone through the roof in the first year. And with no signs that viewership will decline in coming years, ESPN could very well reach its Super Bowl aspirations with the NCAA football championship game. The success of the playoffs with advertisers just goes to show the enduring power of football with American culture.