There was not much interest in the NFL’s battle of Los Angeles.
Saturday’s Chargers-Rams NFL preseason game earned a 1.4 rating and 2.2 million viewers on CBS, down 42% in both measures from Titans-Raiders last year (2.4, 3.8M) and down 53% and 55% respectively from Seahawks-Chargers in 2015 (3.0, 4.9M).
The Chargers’ win was the lowest rated preseason game on national TV — excluding NFL Network — since Jets-Colts on ESPN in 2004 (1.3). The previous low was 1.5 for Buccaneers-Jaguars on ESPN earlier this year. It was also the least-watched preseason game in at least a decade (complete records prior to 2008 were not available).
Saturday’s game was almost certainly the lowest rated NFL broadcast ever on over-the-air television. Competition from the Floyd Mayweather–Conor McGregor fight likely played a role in the low numbers; even the prelims on FOX outdrew the game with a 1.4 and 2.4 million.
Chargers-Rams was easily the biggest dud of a packed preseason weekend. The previous night, CBS pulled a 3.2 and 5.2 million for Chiefs-Seahawks — up 19% in ratings and 29% in viewership from Browns-Buccaneers last year (2.7, 4.1M) and up a tick and 9% respectively from Lions-Jaguars in 2015 (3.1, 4.8M).
On Sunday, NBC drew a 4.5 (+18%) and 7.3 million (+19%) for 49ers-Vikings, trailing only the Hall of Fame Game as the most-watched preseason game in two years. FOX posted declines for its doubleheader, but still earned a 3.7 (-10%) and 5.9 million (-11%) for Cincinnati-Washington and a 3.0 (-9%) and 4.8 million (-8%) for Bears-Titans.
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 8.29]
