A lack of compelling games led FOX to its lowest NFL singleheader overnight of the season.
The Week 16 NFL singleheader, featuring Falcons/Saints in 38% of markets, drew a 10.0 overnight rating on FOX — down 25% from coverage featuring Saints/Panthers or Giants/Lions last year (13.3) and down 14% from coverage on CBS in 2011 (11.6).
The 10.0 overnight is the lowest of the season for the NFL singleheader on FOX and the second-lowest when CBS telecasts are included. Only the Week 4 singleheader on CBS drew a lower overnight (8.2).
Overall, the 10.0 is tied as the fifth-lowest for any NFL telecast on FOX this season — ahead of only the early doubleheader window in Week 14 (9.6), Week 1 (9.4) and Week 7 (8.7) and the special 9:30 AM ET Lions/Falcons game in Week 8 (6.6).
Each of the five games on FOX featured at least one sub-.500 team. The lead game between the Falcons and Saints featured two sub-.500 teams, albeit in a game with playoff implications. The line-up was so dire that the lead FOX team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman called the Lions’ game against the 5-9 Bears.
(Sun. numbers from Sports Business Daily)
