Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
Football.
16.3/28: NFL on CBS, Steelers/Patriots or Broncos/Jets (4:15 PM Sunday)
12.7/25: NFL on FOX, regional (1 PM Sunday)
11.4/29: NFL on FOX, Seahawks/Cowboys (4:30 PM Thursday)
11.1/17: Sunday Night Football on NBC, Bears/Vikings (8:30 PM Sunday)
10.9/26: NFL on CBS, Titans/Lions (12:45 PM Thursday)
8.3/17: NFL on CBS, regional (1 PM Sunday)
7.2/19: FOX NFL Thursday (4 PM Thursday)
6.4/14: The NFL Today on CBS (12 PM Thursday)
6.2: Saturday Night Football on ABC, Oklahoma/Oklahoma State (8 PM Saturday)
4.5: Football Night in America on NBC (7:30 PM Sunday)
4.2/9: SEC on CBS, Auburn/Alabama (3:45 PM Saturday)
4.0: College football on ABC, Florida/Florida State (3:30 PM Saturday)
3.7/9: FOX NFL Sunday (12 PM Sunday)
3.5/9: SEC on CBS, Georgia Tech/Georgia (12 PM Saturday)
2.9: College football on ABC, Colorado/Nebraska (3:30 PM Friday)
2.8/7: The NFL Today on CBS (12 PM Sunday)
2.7: College football on ABC, West Virginia/Pittsburgh (12 PM Friday)
2.5/8: SEC on CBS, LSU/Arkansas (2:30 PM Friday)
1.2/3: Best of College Football on CBS (1:30 PM Friday, taped)
0.9/2: College football on NBC, Grambling State/Southern (2 PM Saturday)
- CBS: CBS drew the second highest overnight of the season for an NFL telecast on Sunday. The 16.3 overnight for Patriots/Steelers or Jets/Broncos marks a 6% increase from the comparable game last year, and trails only a 16.8 for Cowboys/Giants earlier in the season. Early game coverage on CBS drew an 8.3 overnight, down 34% from a 12.5 for coverage in the same timeslot in ’07, when the network aired only one game. Moving to Thanksgiving, CBS drew the smallest overnight rating for a NFL telecast on the holiday in at least seven years. The 10.9 for Titans/Lions was off 22% from a 13.9 for Packers/Lions on FOX in ’07.
- Over the holiday weekend, CBS drew decent ratings for college football coverage. Though the 2.5 overnight for LSU/Arkansas on Friday was down 51% from last year’s far more meaningful game, a Saturday doubleheader brought better numbers. The 3.5 for Georgia Tech/Georgia was down only 5% from last year’s classic Tennessee/Kentucky epic, and the 4.2 for Auburn/Alabama was even with Florida State/Florida in ’07.
- FOX: FOX had less to give thanks about this year, as the 11.4 overnight for Seahawks/Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day was down 8% from a 12.4 for Jets/Cowboys on CBS a year ago. Single game coverage on Sunday fared better in the ratings, as the 12.7 for regional coverage was up 49% from an 8.5 for games in the comparable timeslot last year, when the network aired a doubleheader.
- NBC: The 11.1 overnight for Sunday Night Football, featuring Bears/Vikings, was up 6% from last year. Meanwhile, the 0.9 for Grambling/Southern on Saturday was up 13% from a 0.8 for the same game in ’07.
- ABC: College football coverage was down on ABC over the holiday weekend, with one exception. The network’s Friday doubleheader averaged a 2.8 overnight, down 13% from a 3.2 for two comparable games in ’07. Florida/Florida State, despite being a rainy blowout, drew a 4.0 overnight, up from last year. The biggest game of the weekend, Oklahoma/Oklahoma State, drew the biggest rating — a 6.2, down 11% from the Missouri/Kansas game on Thanksgiving weekend last year.
Golf.
1.2: Golf on ABC, LG Skins Game, Back Nine (3:30 PM Sunday)
1.0: Golf on ABC, LG Skins Game, Front Nine (1 PM Saturday)
- Overnight ratings for the LG Skins Game were down 17% on Saturday and 14% on Sunday.
Other.
1.5/3: Figure Skating on NBC, Holiday Celebration on Ice (4 PM Sunday)
0.7/1: Aspen Winternational on NBC, Women’s Downhill (1 PM Sunday)
0.5/1: AST Dew Tour on NBC, Highlight Show (2 PM Sunday)
- The 0.7 overnight rating for the Aspen Winternational on NBC may seem unimpressive, but it marks a 40% increase from the same event on a later weekend last year.
