With football now officially in full swing across the big four television networks, here is a look at how college and pro games performed last weekend.
NFL.
NFL on CBS (regional): 8.0 final rating, up 7% from comparable coverage in ’07.
- Ratings climbed for the early NFL game on CBS. The 8.0 final rating for regional coverage in the 1 PM window marks a 7% increase from a 7.5 last year.
NFL on CBS (NE/NYJ): 15.3 final rating, up 42% from KC/CHI in ’07.
- Imagine the ratings this game would have drawn had Tom Brady been healthy. The 15.3 for the Matt Cassel-led Patriots’ win over Brett Favre and the Jets marks a 42% increase from a 10.8 for Chiefs/Bears last year.
NFL on FOX (regional): 9.5 final rating, down 4% from comparable coverage in ’07.
- FOX was the only NFL broadcaster to see ratings decrease during Week 2. The 9.5 final rating marks a 4% decline from a 9.9 last year.
Sunday Night Football on NBC (PIT/CLE): 10.8 final rating, up 10% from SD/NE in ’07.
- The ratings for Sunday Night Football may have paled in comparison to the late game on CBS, but NBC can be pleased with a 10% bump.
The NFL Today on CBS: 2.8 final rating, down 15% from ’07.
- The NFL Today and FOX NFL Sunday swapped places on Sunday. During Week 2 of the 2007 season, CBS beat FOX 3.3 to 2.6. This year, FOX won the ratings battle 3.1 to 2.8.
FOX NFL Sunday: 3.1 final rating, up 19% from ’07.
- Ratings for FOX NFL Sunday jumped 19% from a 2.6 last year.
Football Night in America: 4.5 final rating, up 3% from ’07.
- NBC’s NFL pregame show saw a slight increase in ratings from last year.
College.
Saturday Night Football on ABC (Ohio St./USC): 7.0 final rating, up 56% from USC/Nebraska in ’07.
- ABC saw a massive increase for the Saturday Night Football showdown between Ohio State and USC. The 35-3 blowout managed to draw a 7.0/13 final rating, up 56% from the comparable game last year.
College football on ABC (regional): 2.4 final rating, down 4% from ND/Mich. in ’07.
- ABC’s early college football game on Saturday saw ratings decline a tick from the 2.5 for Notre Dame/Michigan in the comparable timeslot last year. The 2.4 rating was the lowest of the weekend for a college football game on broadcast.
Notre Dame Football on NBC (Mich./ND): 3.5 final rating, up 75% from Mich St./ND in ’07*.
- Notre Dame appears to be on the rise, and the ratings are moving in the same direction. The 3.5 final rating for Michigan/Notre Dame last weekend is the best for a Notre Dame telecast on NBC in two years, and marks a 75% increase from a 2.0 for Michigan State/Notre Dame last year.
SEC on CBS (UGA/S. Car): 2.9 final rating, up 12% from Tenn/UF in ’07.
- The season premiere of the SEC on CBS saw a double-digit increase in ratings. The 2.9 for Georgia/South Carolina marks a 12% increase from a 2.6 for Tennessee/Florida last year.
College Football Countdown on ABC: 0.7 final rating, down 13% from ’07.
- ABC’s college football pregame show saw a steep 13% decline from last year, and finished tied as the third-lowest rated sports program of the weekend.
Ratings from The Sports Business Daily.
* comparison is to NBC’s second Notre Dame telecast a year ago.
