The Iron Bowl did well for CBS, but was not nearly as big a draw as in previous years.
The Alabama/Auburn Iron Bowl had a 5.3 overnight rating on CBS Saturday afternoon, up 61% from Mississippi State/Mississippi on Thanksgiving weekend last year (3.3) but down 38% from the 2013 Iron Bowl (8.6). Last year’s meeting between the rivals aired in primetime on ESPN, earning a 7.2 overnight.
The last time the Iron Bowl had a lower overnight was three years ago, when a 49-0 Alabama rout had a mere 2.2 overnight on CBS.
Despite the lower numbers, Alabama’s win scored the second-highest college football overnight of the holiday weekend — trailing Ohio State/Michigan on ABC (6.8). That continued a season-long trend in which the SEC on CBS has taken a backseat to games on other networks, with the series failing to top the charts ten times in 13 weeks this season. By comparison, it was the top draw nine times in 13 tries last year.
For the season, the game earned the sixth-highest overnight on any network and the second-highest on CBS. The network’s only game to do better in the metered markets was LSU/Alabama in week ten (6.3).
On Friday, Missouri/Arkansas drew a mere 1.3 overnight — half of what the same matchup drew last year (2.6) and down 54% from Arkansas/LSU in 2013 (2.8). The 1.3 is easily the lowest of the season for the SEC on CBS.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
