It was not an especially strong draw, but the SEC on CBS still topped the ratings charts in its season debut.
Alabama-South Carolina averaged a 3.0 rating and 4.95 million viewers on the season premiere of the SEC on CBS last Saturday, marking the highest rated and most-watched college football game of week three. It comfortably topped the second-place game, Clemson-Syracuse on ABC (2.3, 3.62M).
The Crimson Tide’s easy win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched CBS SEC opener since 2014 (Georgia-South Carolina: 4.1, 6.77M). Compared to last year’s opener, West Virginia-Tennessee in week one, ratings increased 88% and viewership 87% from a 1.6 and 2.65 million.
The five-year high comes with a significant caveat. From 2015-18, CBS began its coverage in week one or two of the season, when it does not have top pick of SEC games. Week three traditionally marks the first time CBS gets top pick, and Saturday’s game was the lowest rated and least-watched in that week since 2015 (Auburn-LSU: 2.6, 4.23M).
Ratings fell 14% and viewership 17% from week three last year (LSU-Auburn: 3.5, 5.94M) and 6% and 4% respectively from 2017 (Tennessee-Florida: 3.2, 5.13M).
The full list of 2019 college football ratings is available here.
[Nielsen estimates via ShowBuzz Daily 9.17]
