ESPN says it isn’t worried about viewership for tomorrow’s college football playoff games on New Year’s Eve, but the degree to which TV viewers have been choked to death by promos for the two games—which were played on New Year’s Day last year—has left many never wanting to hear “Auld Lang Syne” ever again.


The promotional force has even reached afternoon soaps, as ESPN parent ABC tries to get last-minute word out to potential viewers. Wednesday’s General Hospital—a Disney property—made reference to the New Year’s Eve playoff games no fewer than seven times, each of them an awkward shoehorn of dialogue talking about how much more fun watching football is than going to a party (see the above video) or, in this case, the playoff logo prominently featured in the background:


...or wearing ESPN CFB playoff slogan “Who’s In?” t-shirts:

This is going to be a ratings disaster.

h/t to @Lirodon

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