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Bucs-Jaguars was NFL's lowest-rated ESPN game since 2005

 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, left, talks with coach Dirk Koetter during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, left, talks with coach Dirk Koetter during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Published Aug. 19, 2017

It is just the preseason, and it is the Jaguars, but Thursday night's Bucs-Jags preseason game earned a 1.6 rating on ESPN, which is the lowest-rated preseason game (excluding NFL Network) in 12 years, according to Sports Media Watch.

The 1.6 rating is the lowest for any ESPN preseason game since a tape-delayed 2005 game between the Falcons and Colts, which drew a 1.5 rating.

The site also reported that the Bucs-Jaguars' games 2.6 million viewers makes it the least-watched (non-NFL Network) preseason game in more than a decade -- the previous low was 2.8 million viewers for a 2008 game between the Jaguars and Redskins.

While the audience is low by NFL standards, the Bucs-Jags game still had the largest cable audience Thursday night among adults between ages 18 and 49, with a 0.9 rating in that demographic.

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