A strong SEC slate has CBS on its hottest college football pace in nearly three decades.
The SEC on CBS is averaging 6.68 million viewers through twelve weeks, the network’s highest average at this point of a college football season since 1990, and up 37% from last year (4.87M).
Last weekend, Georgia-Auburn averaged a 4.0 rating and 6.77 million viewers — marking the highest rated and second-most watched college football game of week twelve. It trailed Oklahoma-Baylor in the latter measure (6.79M).
CBS has now aired the highest rated game of the week six times in ten tries this season, and four weeks in a row.
Ratings increased 208% and viewership 234% from week twelve last year (Missouri-Tennessee: 1.3, 2.03M) and 90% and 99% respectively from 2017 (Kentucky-Georgia: 2.1, 3.40M).
CBS has now posted an increase for six of its past seven SEC windows, though last week’s jump comes with a caveat. In previous years, the week twelve SEC schedule pit most teams against FCS opponents, leaving the network with nothing but low-tier matchups to choose from.
Birmingham, Ala., led all markets for Saturday’s game with a 39.2 rating and 58 share. Top ten market Atlanta was second at a 21.7 and 45. Jacksonville (16.1/31), New Orleans (13.1/22) and Knoxville, Tenn. (12.1/21) rounded out the top five.
In other action last weekend, CBS averaged a 1.5 and 2.29 million for Florida-Missouri. Ratings and viewership increased 7% from the network’s lone Noon ET game last year, Mississippi-Texas A&M in week eleven (1.4, 2.14M).
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 11.19]
