On a mixed weekend of NFL preseason action, FOX topped the charts in the metered markets.
The Cardinals/Texans NFL preseason game had a 4.5 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon, up 10% from Texans/Saints last year (4.1) and up 7% from Chargers/49ers in 2014 (4.2). The 4.5 overnight was the highest of the weekend for any sporting event, and the highest for an afternoon preseason game since 49ers/Broncos in 2012 (5.4).
Earlier in the day, FOX scored a 3.7 overnight for Chargers/Vikings; there was no comparable window last year.
In other action, NBC scored a 4.3 overnight for Bengals/Jaguars on Sunday Night Football — down 14% from Cardinals/Raiders last year (5.0) and down 10% from Bengals/Cardinals in 2014 (4.8).
Over on CBS, a pair of weekend games brought mixed results. Titans/Raiders had a 3.6 overnight on Saturday night, up 16% from both Saints/Colts last year and Rams/Broncos in 2014 (3.1 in both years).
On Friday, Browns/Buccaneers scored a 2.7 final rating and 4.1 million viewers — down 13% in ratings and 15% in viewership from Lions/Jaguars last year (3.1, 4.8M) and down 23% and 26%, respectively, from Raiders/Packers in 2014 (3.5, 5.5M).
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily, Programming Insider)
