CBS NFL ratings dipped in Week 8, though with a possible caveat. In other news, last week’s Vikings-Browns London game hit an NFL viewership low, and NBC’s Notre Dame coverage dipped opposite tough competition.
CBS NFL Ratings Down in Week 8, With Possible Caveat
Last Sunday’s Week 8 NFL singleheader delivered an 8.9 rating and 15.2 million viewers on CBS, down 6% in ratings and viewership from last year (9.5, 16.2M) but up 6% and 8% respectively from 2015 (8.4, 14.1M). The Boston market was excluded from the metered market figures released Monday due to inclement weather and it was not immediately clear if those numbers were included in the final nationals. According to Sports Business Daily, CBS aired Chargers-Patriots in 48% of markets.
London Game Least-Watched NFL Window in Years
The Vikings-Browns NFL International Series game from London delivered a 2.1 rating and 3.5 million viewers on NFL Network last Sunday morning, down 11% in ratings and 7% in viewership from NFL Network’s London game last year, Giants-Rams in Week 7 (2.4, 3.7M). Compared to last year’s Week 8 London game, Washington-Cincinnati on FOX, ratings fell 62% from a 5.5 and viewership 61% from 8.7 million.
Minnesota’s win was the lowest rated and least-watched NFL game window since Chargers-Raiders on NFL Network in 2013 (2.5M), a rescheduled game that aired at 11 PM ET on a Sunday night. Among regularly scheduled games, it was the least-watched since Dolphins-Panthers on NFL Network in 2009 (3.0M).
Slight Dip For Notre Dame Opposite OSU-PSU
Last Saturday’s N.C. State-Notre Dame college football game had a 1.6 rating and 2.625 million viewers on NBC, down a tick in ratings and a fraction of a percent in viewership from Notre Dame’s fifth home game last year, against Miami (1.7, 2.634M). The team’s fifth home game in 2015 was a primetime matchup against USC, which had a 2.5 and 4.0 million.
The game faced direct competition from the Ohio State-Penn State game on FOX (9.9M) and finished fourth in its timeslot.
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 10.31]
