Even without national championship implications, the “SEC on CBS” was a good draw on CBS Saturday.
The Texas A&M/LSU college football game drew a 4.8 overnight rating on CBS Saturday afternoon, up 118% from Auburn/Alabama last year (2.2) and up 12% from Alabama/Auburn in 2011 (4.3). Keep in mind the comparable weekend last year coincided with the Thanksgiving holiday.
Texas A&M/LSU was the highest rated college football game of the week in the metered markets. In twelve of thirteen weeks this season, an SEC game has ranked either first or second for the week.
Ranking second for the week, the Baylor/Oklahoma State “Saturday Night Football” game drew a 4.0 overnight on ABC — down 60% from Notre Dame/USC last year (10.0), but down only a tick from Notre Dame/Stanford in 2011 (4.1).
ABC’s early afternoon regional window drew a 2.9 overnight, down 48% from Florida/Florida State last year (5.6), and down 9% from regional action in 2011 (3.2).
Rounding out the top five, FOX drew a 1.9 overnight for Arizona State/UCLA, and ESPN drew a 1.8 for the Noon ET Michigan State/Northwestern game.
In action outside of the top five, NBC drew a 1.7 overnight for the BYU/Notre Dame game — matching the network’s seventh Notre Dame telecast last year, against Wake Forest (1.7), and down a tick from the seventh telecast in 2011, against Boston College (1.8).
ESPN’s primetime Missouri/Mississippi game drew a 1.4 overnight, and the day’s top telecast on Fox Sports 1 — Oklahoma/Kansas State — drew a 0.8.
(Week thirteen overnights from Sports Business Daily, ShowBuzz Daily)
