It was not much of a game, but Vanderbilt/Florida was college football’s top draw of the weekend on cable. In other news, a pair of NBA games declined on ESPN Friday night, and NASCAR Xfinity Series racing scored a big increase on the NBC broadcast network.
Vandy/UF Week’s Top College Football Game on Cable
- The Vanderbilt/Florida college football game had a 2.0 overnight rating on ESPN Saturday afternoon, up 54% from Wisconsin/Rutgers last year and Illinois/Penn State in 2013 (1.3 both years), and the top college football overnight of the weekend on cable. The primetime Michigan State/Nebraska game ranked second with a 1.7, down 55% from Auburn/Mississippi last year (3.8) but up 31% from Tennessee/Missouri in 2013 (1.3). In the nightcap, Arizona/USC scored a 1.2 — down 29% from Arizona/UCLA last year (1.7); there was no comparable window in 2013.
Fewer Viewers For Friday NBA on ESPN
- Friday’s Heat/Pacers NBA regular season game drew 1.4 million viewers on ESPN, down 2% from Grizzlies/Thunder last year (1.5M). Rockets/Kings scored 1.3 million later in the night, down 44% from Cavaliers/Nuggets last year, one of LeBron James‘ first games after rejoining Cleveland (2.4M). There were no comparable games in 2013.
Overnights Up For NASCAR Xfinity at Texas
- NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Texas scored a 1.4 overnight rating on NBC Sunday afternoon, up 27% from last year on ESPN (1.1) and the highest mark for the series since coverage from the Brickyard in July (1.5). Overall, the 1.4 overnight is the fifth-highest for an Xfinity Series race this year (31 total), but just fourth out of the seven on broadcast television.
