Wrapping up the ratings for week four of the college football season, including a rough outing for FOX, mediocre numbers for CBS, and soaring numbers for ESPN’s primetime doubleheader.
- Brutal Competition Leads to Bad Night For FOX: Last Saturday’s Kansas State/Oklahoma college football game drew a 1.8 final rating and 2.816 million viewers on FOX, down 28% in ratings and 27% in viewership from USC/Stanford the previous week (2.5, 3.816M), and down 36% and 35%, respectively, from Nebraska/UCLA two weeks ago (2.8, 4.3M). The telecast was beaten soundly head-to-head by Notre Dame/Michigan on NBC (4.0, 6.384M), Clemson/Florida State on ABC (4.774M), and LSU/Auburn on ESPN (2.4, 3.768M). (Weekend numbers from Sports Business Daily)
- Lower Numbers For SEC on CBS: The second edition of the “SEC on CBS,” pitting Missouri against South Carolina, drew a 2.5 final rating on CBS last Saturday — down 14% from Alabama/Arkansas last year (2.9), and down 52% from Arkansas/Alabama in 2010 (5.2). Despite the lower numbers, the game topped concurrent college football coverage on ABC (2.3). (Weekend numbers from Sports Business Daily)
- Big Jump For LSU/Auburn, Arizona/Oregon: The previously mentioned LSU/Auburn game drew a 2.4 U.S. rating and 3.768 million viewers on ESPN last Saturday night, up 71% in ratings and 76% in viewership from Florida/Kentucky last year (1.4, 2.139M), but flat in ratings and down 1% in viewership from South Carolina/Auburn in 2010 (2.4, 3.813M). Later in the night, Arizona/Oregon drew a 2.0 and 3.035 million — up 43% and 46%, respectively, from USC/Arizona State last year. There was no comparable game in 2010. (Weekend numbers from Sports Business Daily)
