With the Panthers under .500 and the current version of the Raiders still somewhat unknown, the NFL national window did as well as CBS could have hoped.
The Week 12 NFL national window, featuring Panthers/Raiders in 63% of markets, had a 15.1 overnight rating on CBS Sunday afternoon — down 10% from Steelers/Seahawks last year (16.7) and down 13% from coverage featuring Dolphins/Broncos in 2014 (17.4).
Despite the decline, the 15.1 overnight is the second-highest of the season for the NFL on CBS (21 telecasts*). The previous week’s national window, which featured Eagles/Seahawks, holds the top spot with a 15.4.
Sunday continued a rough stretch for the NFL national window, typically the NFL’s highest rated broadcast of a given week. Overnights have declined for ten of the 12 national window telecasts this year, with eight of those hitting multi-year lows — including all six on CBS.
Earlier in the day, regional action had an 8.8 overnight — up 13% from last year (7.8) but down 15% from 2014 (10.3).
* Not including Thursday Night Football.
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily 11/28)
