Though Alabama was only barely in the playoff conversation, the Iron Bowl still delivered strong ratings for CBS.
Last Saturday’s Alabama-Auburn Iron Bowl averaged a 6.3 rating and 11.43 million viewers on CBS, ranking third among college football games this season behind LSU-Alabama on CBS in week eleven (9.7, 16.64M) and Ohio State-Michigan on FOX earlier in the day (7.1, 12.42M).
CBS has aired three of the top five games this season, with Notre Dame-Georgia in September rounding out the top five (5.4, 9.35M).
The Tigers’ win, which peaked with 18.15 million viewers from 7-7:15 PM ET, increased 24% in ratings and 25% in viewership from last year’s Iron Bowl (5.1, 9.13M), but declined 17% and 16% respectively from the 2017 game, when both teams were ranked in the top ten (7.6, 13.66M).
Alabama entered Saturday’s game on the periphery of the College Football Playoff conversation, a departure from previous years when it was firmly in the playoff mix. Even so, Saturday’s game trailed only 2017 as the highest rated and most-watched Iron Bowl in the past five years.
CBS is averaging 6.64 million viewers for college football coverage entering the SEC Championship, its highest average at this point of the season since 1990. Viewership is up 34% from the network’s SEC schedule last season (4.96M).
Birmingham led all markets for the Iron Bowl with a 50.2 rating and 71 share. New Orleans was a distant second at an 18.3/51, followed by Nashville (16.5/29) and top ten market Atlanta (16.4/36). Jacksonville and Greenville, N.C., tied for fifth at a 15.9.
In other action last weekend, CBS drew a 1.4 and 2.09 million (+9%) for Missouri-Arkansas last Friday.
Iron Bowl ratings, past decade
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 12.4, CBS Sports]
