Overnight (metered market) ratings by timeslot:
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM Sunday.
2.1/5: College Basketball on CBS (Kentucky/Florida)
1.3/3: NHL on NBC
1.2/3: Arena Football on ABC
- The NHL gets its best overnight rating of the season on NBC in its earliest timeslot yet. Unlike previous weeks, when hockey had to compete against NASCAR, the NBA and golf, the only competition was college basketball and the Arena Football League.
- Meanwhile, the AFL ends up with an 8% ratings drop from last year’s January opener on NBC. Promotion, and Ron Jaworski’s unbridled enthusiasm aside, the AFL is still viewed as a very minor league.
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM Sunday.
3.0/6: College Basketball on CBS (Duke/UNC)
2.5/5: PGA Tour on NBC (Honda Classic)
2.4/5: NBA on ABC (Lakers/Suns)
- Duke/UNC was down 23% from the last game the two teams played on CBS (2005, 3.9/8), but up 114% from Oklahoma/Texas last year.
- Meanwhile, Lakers/Suns finished with a 2.4 overnight, up 9% from Suns/Mavericks last year. The overnight was the highest for the first Sunday in March since 2004 (when Mavs/Rockets drew a 2.7 and Nets/Lakers drew a 3.7). That is especially important, considering how badly the NBA on ABC struggles during the month of March.
- PGA Tour golf was down 50 percent from a 5.0 overnight last year (for the Ford Championship at Doral). This year, the Honda Classic drew a 2.5 overnight — but that is mainly due to the fact that the Final Round was suspended due to darkness.
Saturday ratings.
- Ohio State/Michigan drew a 2.2/5, the highest rating on Saturday. Other college basketball action on CBS drew a ratings of 1.8 and 1.7 (at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM respectively).
- The Honda Classic drew a very low 1.8 overnight for NBC, while the gymnastics lead-in finished with a 1.4/4.
- The lowest rating of the weekend for a live game was for college basketball. ABC’s regional coverage, airing against a tripleheader of college basketball on CBS, drew a 1.1/3 rating at 3:30 PM.
