Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
Football.
14.4/22: Sunday Night Football on NBC, Cowboys/Packers (8:30 PM Sunday)
13.5/27: NFL on CBS, Steelers/Eagles (4:15 PM Sunday)
10.3/21: NFL on CBS, regional (1 PM Sunday)
10.0/20: NFL on FOX, regional (1 PM Sunday)
6.0: Football Night in America on NBC (7:30 PM Sunday)
3.4: College football on ABC, regional (3:30 PM Saturday)
3.1: Saturday Night Football on ABC, UGA/Arizona St. (8 PM Saturday)
3.0/7: SEC on CBS, Florida/Tennessee (3:30 PM Saturday)
2.8/7: FOX NFL Sunday (12 PM Sunday)
2.4/6: The NFL Today on CBS (12 PM Sunday)
0.9/2: College Football Today on CBS (3 PM Saturday)
0.9: College Football Countdown on ABC (3 PM Saturday)
- NBC: A strong match-up between two storied teams led Sunday Night Football to a decent bump in the ratings. The 14.4 overnight for Cowboys/Packers on Sunday night marks a 5% increase from a 13.7 for Cowboys/Bears last year. Football Night in America saw a similar increase; the 6.0 overnight for NBC’s pregame show marks a 7% rise from a 5.6 in ’07.
- CBS: NFL coverage put up strong numbers on CBS Sunday, though not quite as strong as last year. Early game coverage drew a 10.1/21, down 15% from an 11.9 for early game coverage on CBS last year. Meanwhile, the Steelers/Eagles late game drew a 13.5, off 1% from a 13.6 for the comparable Giants/Washington last year, which aired on FOX.
- CBS also saw increased ratings for SEC coverage on Saturday. The 3.0 for Florida/Tennessee marks an 11% improvement from a 2.7 for South Carolina/LSU last year.
- FOX: All four NFL rightsholders drew overnight ratings of 10.0 or higher on Sunday. The 10.0/20 for regional coverage on FOX marks a 35% increase from a 7.4 last year.
- ABC: Without a glamorous match-up, ratings for Saturday Night Football fell on Saturday night. Georgia/Arizona State drew a 3.1 overnight, off 6% from a 3.3 for regional coverage in ’07. Meanwhile, the early ABC game drew a 3.4, off 13% from a 3.9 for Penn State/Michigan last year.
Golf.
3.3/7: Ryder Cup on NBC, singles matches (12 PM Sunday)
2.8/7: Ryder Cup on NBC, foursomes and fourball matches (8 AM Sunday)
- In as rare a situation as any since Tiger Woods‘ injury, ratings for a golf event improved. Sunday afternoon coverage of the Ryder Cup, which saw the U.S. win for the first time since 1999, drew a 3.3 overnight on NBC, up 22% from a 2.7 for Sunday coverage of the 2006 Ryder Cup, which aired in the morning.
Auto racing.
2.8: NASCAR on ABC, Camping World RV 400 (2 PM Sunday)
1.4: NASCAR Countdown on ABC (1 PM Sunday)
- NASCAR cannot seem to gain traction opposite the NFL. The 2.8 overnight for coverage of the Camping World RV 400 on Sunday marks a 15% drop from a 3.3 for a comparable race in ’07.
Other.
1.9/4: MLB on FOX, regional (3:30 PM Saturday)
1.0: AVP Tour on FOX, Bud Light Manhattan Beach Open, Women’s Final (4:30 PM Sunday)
- Overnight ratings dropped for baseball on FOX Saturday. The 1.9 for regional coverage marks a 10% drop from a 2.1 for comparable coverage last year. This will likely mark the sixth straight week baseball on FOX will finish with a final rating below 2.0.
