Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
Football.
15.5/29: NFL on CBS, Colts/Steelers (4:15 PM Sunday)
12.4/20: Sunday Night Football on NBC, Giants/Eagles (8:30 PM Sunday)
10.4/22: NFL on CBS, regional (1 PM Sunday)
9.5/20: NFL on FOX, regional (1 PM Sunday)
5.9: Saturday Night Football on ABC, regional (8 PM Saturday)
5.5/12: SEC on CBS, Alabama/LSU (3:30 PM Saturday)
4.2: College football on ABC, regional (3:30 PM Saturday)
3.2/8: FOX NFL Sunday (12 PM Sunday)
2.6/7: The NFL Today on CBS (12 PM Sunday)
1.5: College Football Countdown on ABC (3 PM Saturday)
1.1/3: College Football Today on CBS (3 PM Saturday)
0.5/1: High School Football on CBS, Varsity Rivals (1 PM Saturday, taped)
- CBS: Football brought strong ratings to CBS over the weekend. The 15.5 overnight for the Colts’ victory over the Steelers Sunday, while a 9% decline from the 17.1 for last year’s comparable Cowboys/Giants game, is the highest overnight of the season for an NFL game on CBS. Meanwhile, the first game of the network’s NFL doubleheader drew a strong 10.4 overnight, up 12% from a 9.3 last year.
- On Saturday, CBS drew a season-high 5.5/12 overnight rating for coverage of #1 Alabama against LSU. The 5.5 overnight is a 120% increase over the 2.5 the comparable game last year, and also marks a 31% increase over the 4.2 overnight for last year’s LSU/Alabama game on CBS.
- FOX: The lone NFL telecast of the week on FOX drew a 9.5 overnight rating, down 9% from a 10.4 for coverage in the comparable timeslot a year ago. FOX NFL Sunday also saw lower ratings, as the 3.2 overnight for the network’s pregame show was off 6% from a 3.4 last year. Still, the show beat The NFL Today on CBS by 23%.
- NBC: The 12.4 overnight for Giants/Eagles on NBC Sunday night marks a 2% decline from a 12.7 for last year’s Colts/Chargers game.
- ABC: College football brought strong ratings to ABC over the weekend. The 5.9 overnight for Saturday Night Football, featuring Oklahoma State/Texas Tech or Cal/USC, was up 34% from comparable coverage in ’07. The first game of ABC’s doubleheader drew a 4.2 opposite Alabama/LSU, down 21% from last year. Overall, ABC averaged a 5.1 for college football coverage on Saturday, up 4% from last year’s 4.9.
Auto racing.
3.4: NASCAR on ABC, Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 (3:30 PM Sunday)
1.5: NASCAR Countdown on ABC (3 PM Sunday)
- The 3.4 overnight rating for the second-to-last race in NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup was flat with the same race last year. In the Eastern and Central time zones, coverage of the race averaged a 4.6 overnight rating on ABC from 7-7:30 PM, the last half hour before coverage was moved to ESPN2. From 7:30-8 PM, ABC averaged a 3.8 for coverage of America’s Funniest Home Videos, while NASCAR drew a relatively impressive 2.9 on ESPN2.
Other.
0.5/1: LG Action Sports World Tour on CBS (2 PM Saturday, taped)
Last weekend’s (Nov. 1-2) overnight ratings, for posterity.
16.8/31: NFL on FOX, Cowboys/Giants (4:15 PM Nov. 2)
11.9/18: Sunday Night Football on NBC, Patriots/Colts (8:30 PM Nov. 2)
9.7/20: NFL on FOX, regional (1 PM Nov. 2)
9.5/19: NFL on CBS, regional (1 PM Nov. 2)
8.2: Saturday Night Football on ABC, Texas/Texas Tech (8 PM Nov. 1)
8.0/13: The OT on FOX (7:30 PM Nov. 2)
4.4/10: SEC on CBS, Georgia/Florida (3:30 PM Nov. 1)
3.7/9: FOX NFL Sunday (12 PM Nov. 2)
3.3: NASCAR on ABC, Dickies 500 (3:30 PM Nov. 2)
2.8: College football on ABC, regional (3:30 PM Nov. 1)
2.7/6: Notre Dame football on NBC, Pittsburgh/Notre Dame (2:30 PM Nov. 1)
2.5/6: The NFL Today on CBS (12 PM Nov. 2)
1.4/3: Figure Skating on NBC, Frankie Valli/Four Seasons (4 PM Nov. 2)
1.4/3: Slamball on CBS (5 PM Nov. 2)
1.4: NASCAR Countdown on ABC (3 PM Nov. 2)
0.9/2: College Football Today on CBS (3 PM Nov. 1)
0.8: College Football Countdown on ABC (3 PM Nov. 1)
0.6/1: ING New York Marathon on NBC (3 PM Nov. 2)
0.5/1: High School Rivalries on CBS (1 PM Nov. 1)
0.4/1: Jeep 48Straight Mountain Bike Championships on CBS (2 PM Nov. 1)
