Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
* Ratings for some CBS events (including Georgia/LSU on Saturday) unavailable.
Football.
15.6/30: NFL on FOX, Giants/Steelers (4:15 PM Sunday)
11.9/25: NFL on FOX, regional (1 PM Sunday)
8.7/18: NFL on CBS, regional (1 PM Sunday)
7.2: Saturday Night Football on ABC, Ohio St./Penn St. (8 PM Saturday)
5.2: College football on ABC, regional (3:30 PM Saturday)
3.4/9: FOX NFL Sunday (12 PM Sunday)
2.4/6: The NFL Today on CBS (12 PM Sunday)
2.3: Football Night in America on NBC (7:30 PM Sunday)
- FOX: The three highest rated sporting events of the weekend aired on FOX, with the top two spots going to the network’s NFL coverage. The 15.6 for Giants/Steelers marks a 9% increase from a 14.3 for Washington/New England last year, and is the second-highest overnight for an NFL game this season. Meanwhile, the 11.9 overnight for regional coverage earlier in the day was up 45% from an 8.2 for the similar telecast window in ’07. Overall, NFL coverage averaged a 13.8 overnight on FOX Sunday, up 22% from an 11.3 last year.
- CBS: Singleheader NFL coverage drew an 8.7 overnight on CBS Sunday, down 18% from a 10.6/22 last year. The 2.4 overnight for The NFL Today was also down 11% from a 2.7 in ’07.
- ABC: College football coverage soared in the ratings on ABC Saturday. The 7.2 overnight for Ohio State/Penn State on Saturday night is the second highest of the season, behind only Ohio State/USC in September, and marks a 47% jump from the same match-up last year. Meanwhile, early game coverage saw an even more impressive increase, as the 5.2 overnight for coverage featuring Texas against Oklahoma State was up 49%.
- NBC: Without a game to lead into, NBC’s prime time pregame show finished with a lower overnight rating than FOX NFL Sunday and The NFL Today, both of which aired at noon.
Baseball.
10.7/17: MLB on FOX, Rays/Phillies (8 PM Sunday)
- The 10.7 overnight for Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night was off 25% from a 14.3 for Game 4 between the Red Sox and Rockies in ’07.
Auto racing.
3.2: NASCAR on ABC, Pep Boys Auto 500 (2 PM Sunday)
1.5: NASCAR Countdown on ABC (1 PM Sunday)
0.4/1: Championship Off Road Racing on NBC (2:30 PM Sunday, taped)
- Ratings for the Pep Boys Auto 500 slipped 9% from a 3.5 in ’07 to a 3.2 this year.
Other.
1.3/3: Figure skating on NBC, Skate America (4 PM Sunday)
1.3: Horse racing on ABC, The Breeders’ Cup (1 PM Saturday)
1.0/2: Figure skating on NBC, Skating For Life (4 PM Saturday, taped)
- The 1.3 overnight for NBC’s coverage of Skate America on Sunday was off 7% from a 1.4 last year.
- The Breeders Cup drew a 1.3 overnight rating from 1-3:30 PM on ABC Saturday, down 24% from a 1.7 for coverage in 2005, the last year the event aired on broadcast. That year, NBC provided coverage from 1-7 PM.
