The Dallas Cowboys helped NFL Network to the second-highest ratings in its history.
The Cowboys’ loss to the Ravens on Saturday drew a 9.2 cable rating on NFL Network, the highest rating for an NFL telecast on the network this season. The 9.2 cable rating is the network’s second-highest ever, behind a 14.6 for Packers/Cowboys in 2007.
NFL Network says the 9.2 makes Cowboys/Ravens the fourth-highest rated sporting event on cable in 2008. This is technically true; the 9.2 ties Ravens/Cowboys with Game 7 of the ALCS on TBS in the number four spot, behind only three Monday Night Football games. NFL Network crows that the game “out-rated the highest-rated event for all other sports on cable in 2008.”
However, keep in mind that the 9.2 is the cable rating. Cable ratings measure the percentage of households viewing a telecast out of the amount of households the cable network reaches. In other words, 9.2% of the 42 million households that receive NFL Network is a far less impressive number than 9.2% of the over 90 million households that receive TBS, TNT, ESPN and other cable networks.
As an example: while Ravens/Cowboys is tied with Game 7 of the ALCS in terms of cable ratings, the latter drew a substantially larger audience. Using U.S. area ratings — which measure the amount of households watching out of the amount of households with televisions — Rays/Red Sox drew a 7.9, while Ravens/Cowboys drew a 3.4.
Using this measure, Ravens/Cowboys is not even close to being one of the top ten highest rated sporting events of the year on cable.
As for the claim that the game outrated the highest rated events from the other sports? Again, technically true. However, the U.S. ratings tell a different story.
Ravens/Cowboys versus highest rated events from each sport in 2008.
*cable events only
7.9: MLB: Rays/Red Sox Game 7 (Sun., 10/19, 8 PM TBS)
4.8: NBA: Lakers/Spurs Game 4 (Tue., 5/27, 9 PM TNT)
4.3: NASCAR: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (Sun., 7/27, 2 PM ESPN)
4.3: NCAAF: Miami/Florida (Sat., 9/6, 8 PM ESPN)
3.6: Golf: US Open Playoff, Woods/Mediate (Mon., 6/16, 12 PM ESPN)
3.4: NCAAB: UNC/Duke (Sat., 3/11, 9 PM ESPN)
3.4: Ravens/Cowboys (Sat., 12/20, 8 PM NFL Network)
