ESPN announced on Tuesday that the national championship game between Ohio State and Oregon delivered the largest audience in cable history, and set a network streaming record for non-World Cup programming.

The broadcast attracted 33,395,000 viewers and an 18.2 US household rating, according to Nielsen.

The inaugural College Football Playoff, including the semifinal games on Jan. 1, resulted in the top three programs in cable history.

The Sugar Bowl, featuring Alabama vs. Ohio State, attracted 28,271,000 viewers, while the Florida State vs. Oregon matchup in the Rose Bowl drew 28,164,000. Combined, the three playoff games averaged 29,812,000 viewers and a 16.0 US household rating.

Additionally, ESPN has now televised the Top 20 programs in cable history.

“The inaugural College Football Playoff was a resounding success by all measures,” ESPN president John Skipper said in a statement. “Fans responded in record numbers across television and digital platforms. It’s been a great first year and we look forward to the opportunity to build upon the excitement as we continue our long-term commitment to this tremendous event.”

The championship game enjoyed a 31 percent increase in viewership and a 26 percent increase in rating over the 2014 BCS title game between Auburn vs. Florida State (25,572,000 viewers & 14.4 rating).

It also resulted in a 22 percent increase in audience and 19 percent gain in rating over the 2011 BCS Championship featuring Oregon vs. Auburn (27,316,000 viewers and 15.3 rating) which had previously ranked as the most-watched and highest-rated program in cable history.

The top 10 metered markets were: Columbus 51.2), Dayton (43.8), Cleveland (41.3), Portland (37.6), Birmingham (36.1), Cincinnati (26.5), Jacksonville (25.7), Knoxville (25.5), Greenville (24.1) and Atlanta (23.0).

In all, the championship set overnight postseason college football records in 22 metered markets: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Ft. Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

Top 20 Most-Viewed Programs in Cable Television (Viewers)
Rank, Date, Program, Network, Viewers (000s)
1. 01/12/2015 CFB/National Championship: Oregon-Ohio State ESPN 33,395
2. 01/01/2015 CFB/Sugar Bowl: Alabama-Ohio St. ESPN 28,271
3. 01/01/2015 CFB/Rose Bowl: Oregon-Florida St. ESPN 28,164
4. 01/10/2011 CFB/BCS Champ: Oregon-Auburn ESPN 27,316
5. 01/07/2013 CFB/BCS Champ: Alabama-Notre Dame ESPN 26,380
6. 01/06/2014 CFB/BCS Champ: Florida St.-Auburn ESPN 25,572
7. 01/09/2012 CFB/BCS Champ: Alabama-LSU ESPN 24,214
8. 10/05/2009 NFL MNF: Green Bay-Minnesota ESPN 21,839
9. 01/03/2015 NFL Wild Card: Arizona-Carolina ESPN 21,678
10. 11/30/2009 NFL MNF: New England-New Orleans ESPN 21,402
11. 01/01/2011 CFB/Rose Bowl: TCU-Wisconsin ESPN 20,558
12. 12/27/2010 NFL MNF: New Orleans-Atlanta ESPN 19,137
13. 10/27/2014 NFL MNF: Washington-Dallas ESPN 18,809
14. 01/01/2014 CFB/Rose Bowl: Stanford-Michigan State ESPN 18,636
15. 09/15/2008 NFL MNF: Philadelphia-Dallas ESPN 18,608
16. 10/25/2010 NFL MNF: NY Giants-Dallas ESPN 17,953
17. 01/02/2012 CFB/Rose Bowl: Wisconsin-Oregon ESPN 17,558
18. 12/03/2007 NFL MNF: New England-Baltimore ESPN 17,522
19. 09/27/2010 NFL MNF: Green Bay-Chicago ESPN 17,454
20. 10/11/2010 NFL MNF: Minnesota-NY Jets ESPN 17,313

Source: ESPN