ABC and CBS both had declines in week seven of the college football season. In other news, the recently rebranded Nets earned relatively strong numbers for their preseason debut.
- College Football Down on ABC in Week Seven: Regional college football action including West Virginia/Texas Tech earned a 3.1 final rating and 4.551 million viewers on ABC October 13, down 18% in ratings and 19% in viewership from regional action featuring Oklahoma State/Texas last year (3.8, 5.587M), and down 14% and 20%, respectively, from coverage featuring Texas/Nebraska in 2010 (3.6, 5.670M). Final numbers were not available for the Texas/Oklahoma game earlier in the day. (Weekend numbers from Sports Business Daily)
- CBS Sees Decline For Bama/Mizzou: The October 13 Alabama/Missouri college football game on CBS drew a 2.3 final rating — down 20% from Louisiana State/Tennessee last year (2.8), and down 21% from Arkansas/Auburn in 2010 (2.9). The 2.3 is the lowest of the season for an SEC telecast on CBS. (Weekend numbers from Sports Business Daily)
- Nets’ Preseason Opener Hits Four-Year High: The Brooklyn Nets’ preseason home opener against the Wizards earned a 1.02 rating on YES Network in the New York market last Monday night, the highest rating for any Nets telecast on the network — that did not involve the crosstown Knicks — since 2008. The 1.02 easily topped the 0.40 average rating YES Network averaged for regular season games last season. (New York Times, Multichannel News)
