Over nine million viewers watched the latest edition of the Iron Bowl.
Last Saturday’s Alabama/Auburn Iron Bowl earned a 5.3 final rating and 9.3 million viewers on CBS, up 71% in ratings and 80% in viewership from Mississippi State/Mississippi last year (3.1, 5.2M) but down 35% and 33%, respectively, from the same Alabama/Auburn matchup in 2013 (8.2, 13.8M). Last year’s Iron Bowl aired on ESPN in primetime, drawing a 7.4 and 13.5 million.
The Crimson Tide’s win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched Iron Bowl in three years, since their 49-0 rout in 2012 (2.4, 3.9M). Of the last seven editions of the rivalry (dating back to 2009), it places directly in the middle of the pack — fourth in both measures.
If middling for the Iron Bowl, Saturday’s game was strong by most other standards. It scored the second-highest rating and viewership on CBS this season, trailing only LSU/Alabama in primetime three weeks earlier (6.4, 11.1M), and the fifth-highest regardless of network. For the holiday weekend, only Ohio State/Michigan on ABC put up better numbers (6.4, 10.8M).
Still, it continued a season-long trend of the SEC on CBS finishing second-place (or worse). The ‘best game from the best conference’ has failed to top the charts in 10 of 13 weeks, after having done so nine times in the same span last year.
In other action last weekend, Missouri/Arkansas had a 1.6 and 2.4 million on Black Friday — down 41% in ratings and 46% in viewership from the same game last year (2.7, 4.4M) and down 48% and 52%, respectively, from Arkansas/LSU in 2013 (3.1, 5.0M).
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily)
