Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
Ratings for several events (including MLB and NFL on FOX) unavailable.
asterisk (*) equals final national rating
Football.
15.2: NFL on CBS, Patriots/Jets (4:15 PM Sunday)
10.8/16*: Sunday Night Football on NBC, Steelers/Browns (8:15 PM Sunday)
8.4: Saturday Night Football on ABC, Ohio State/USC (8:15 PM Saturday)
4.0: Notre Dame Football on NBC, Michigan/Notre Dame (3:30 PM Saturday)
3.2/7: SEC on CBS, Georgia/South Carolina (3:30 PM Saturday)
2.4: College football on ABC, regional (3:30 PM Saturday)
1.2/3: College Football Today on CBS (3 PM Saturday)
1.0: College Football Countdown on ABC (3 PM Saturday)
- While a Brett Favre versus Tom Brady match-up would have likely drawn even higher ratings, CBS can be satisfied with the strong 15.2 rating for the Brady-less Patriots’ second straight win. The 15.2 marks a 32% jump from an 11.5 for the comparable Chiefs/Bears game a year ago.
- The heavyweight clash between Ohio State and USC may not have been much of a game, but ABC still drew impressive numbers. The 8.4 overnight for USC’s blowout victory marks a 68% increase from a 5.0 for last year’s USC/Nebraska matchup, and is the best rating for a regular season game since USC/Notre Dame drew a 9.6/17 in November of ’06.
- Notre Dame football is making a comeback on the field — and in the ratings. Saturday’s game between Notre Dame and Michigan drew a 4.0 overnight on NBC, up 74% from NBC’s second Notre Dame telecast last year.
- The season premiere of SEC football on CBS saw a double digit increase in ratings. Georgia/South Carolina drew a 3.2 overnight rating, up 10% from a 2.9 for Tennessee/Florida last year.
Auto racing.
3.1: NASCAR on ABC, Sylvania 300 (2 PM Sunday)
1.4: NASCAR Countdown on ABC (1 PM Sunday)
- While ratings for the Sylvania 300 were up 11% from a 2.8 in ’07, the 3.1 overnight rating is the third-lowest for a NASCAR race on broadcast in the past four years.
