The NFL preseason has not been as strong a draw as usual this year.
Sunday’s Colts/Giants NFL preseason game drew a 4.9 overnight rating on FOX, the lowest overnight for a Sunday preseason game on broadcast TV since the current NFL TV contract began in 2006. The previous low was a 5.1 for Seahawks/Chargers on NBC in 2007.
Though a far cry from regular season numbers, NFL preseason games typically perform well on Sundays. Dating back to 2009, ten of the previous twelve Sunday preseason games earned at least a 6.5 overnight.
Despite the lower numbers, Colts/Giants nearly doubled the competing Yankees/Red Sox Major League Baseball game on ESPN (2.5), and earned the top overnight of the weekend for a sporting event on broadcast.
On Friday, FOX drew a 3.5 overnight for the Buccaneers/Patriots preseason game — even with Ravens/Lions on a Friday night last year (3.5), and up 25% from Falcons/Jaguars in 2011 (2.8).
(Weekend overnights from Sports Business Daily)
