Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
Football.
15.3/29: NFL on FOX, Washington/Cowboys (4:15 PM Sunday)
12.3/20: Sunday Night Football on NBC, Eagles/Bears (8:30 PM Sunday)
9.7/20: NFL on FOX, regional (12 PM Sunday)
9.0/15: The OT on FOX (7:30 PM Sunday)
7.5/15: NFL on CBS, regional (1 PM Sunday)
4.9: Football Night in America on NBC (7:30 PM Sunday)
3.6: Saturday Night Football on ABC, regional (8 PM Saturday)
3.5: College football on ABC, regional (3:30 PM Saturday)
3.2/8: FOX NFL Sunday (12 PM Sunday)
2.6/8: SEC on CBS, Tennessee/Auburn (3:30 PM Saturday)
2.3/6: The NFL Today on CBS (12 PM Sunday)
2.0/4: Notre Dame Football on NBC, Purdue/Notre Dame (3:30 PM Saturday)
1.1: College Football Countdown on ABC (3 PM Saturday)
0.7/2: College Football Today on CBS (3 PM Saturday)
- FOX: Three of the four highest rated sporting events of the weekend were NFL-related programs on FOX. The top overnight was the 15.3/29 for Washington’s victory over Dallas Sunday evening, which was up 22% from a 12.5/24 for Broncos/Colts on CBS last year. FOX drew a solid 9.7/20 overnight for early game coverage, down 8% from a 10.6/22 last year, and an impressive 9.0/15 for The OT.
- NBC: A battle between the #3 and #4 markets helped Sunday Night Football to a jump in the ratings. The Bears’ victory over the Eagles drew a 12.3/20 overnight rating, up 14% from a 10.8/17 last year. NBC was not so lucky when it came to college gridiron action. The 2.0/4 for Purdue/Notre Dame on Saturday was off 5% from NBC’s third Notre Dame telecast last year.
- CBS: NFL coverage drew a 7.5/15 on CBS, down 9% from last year and the lowest rated window of NFL coverage on Sunday. Ratings also dropped for SEC action on the network Saturday, as the 2.6/6 for Tennessee/Auburn marks a 4% decline from last year’s Florida State/Alabama game, which aired in a later timeslot.
- ABC: College football drew solid numbers on ABC Saturday, though the ratings were down by a decent amount from last year. Early game coverage drew a 3.5 overnight rating, off 27% from a 4.8 in ’07. Saturday Night Football, featuring either Illinois/Penn State or Virginia Tech/Nebraska, drew a 3.6 overnight, off 12% from a 4.1 for USC/Washington last year.
Golf.
1.8/4: PGA on NBC, The Tour Championship, Final Round (1:30 PM Sunday)
1.3/3: PGA on NBC, The Tour Championship, Third Round (12 PM Sunday)
- The FedEx Cup ended with another thud in the ratings. The 1.8/4 overnight rating for final round coverage of The Tour Championship marks a 45% decline from a 3.3/7 last year, when Tiger Woods won the tournament. Saturday coverage, which was moved up to a noon start because of Notre Dame football, drew a 1.3/3, off 54%.
Auto racing.
3.1: NASCAR on ABC, Camping World RV 400 (2 PM Sunday)
2.2: NASCAR postrace (5:30 PM Sunday)
1.5: NASCAR Countdown (1 PM Sunday)
- The 3.1 overnight for the third race in the Chase for the Cup was up 11% from a 2.8 for the comparable race last year. Still, the 3.1 is tied as the second-lowest overnight for a NASCAR race on broadcast since at least 2004.
Other.
2.6/6: MLB on FOX, regional (3:30 PM Saturday)
0.8/2: Jeep 48Straight Mountain Bike Championships (5 PM Sunday, taped)
- Baseball on FOX wrapped up the regular season with a nice boost in the ratings. The 2.6/6 overnight for regional coverage featuring Cubs/Brewers was up 37% from a 1.9 last year, and marks the highest overnight for an MLB on FOX telecast on the final Saturday of the season since 2005.
