Week 17 was a mixed bag, but CBS finished the NFL season at a three-year ratings high. Also: a network change boosted the Louisville-Kentucky rivalry; Mavericks-Lakers held up OK opposite the NFL; the Liga MX final hit a three-year high.
Week 17 mixed, but CBS finishes season at three-year high
CBS averaged an 8.5 rating and 14.90 million viewers for the second half of its Week 17 NFL doubleheader (including Titans-Texans and Steelers-Ravens), down 11% from last year (primarily Browns-Ravens: 9.5, 16.77M) and down 2% and 4% respectively from 2017 (primarily Bengals-Ravens: 8.7, 15.60M).
The network’s early window, which included Chargers-Chiefs and the Dolphins’ upset of the Patriots, averaged a 7.5 and 12.53 million — up 39% in ratings and 41% in viewership from last year (5.4, 8.89M) and up 14% and 12% respectively from 2017 (6.6, 11.21M).
For the season, the NFL on CBS averaged 17.22 million viewers (+4%), its highest average since 2016 (17.3M). Per Sports Business Daily writer Austin Karp, the complete NFL regular season averaged 16.50 million viewers across CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPN and NFL Network (+5%).
Network switch boosts Louisville-Kentucky
Saturday’s Louisville-Kentucky college basketball game averaged a 1.3 rating and 2.05 million viewers, up 117% in ratings and 87% in viewership from last year on ESPN2 (0.6, 1.09M). Ratings were even with the last time the teams played on CBS two years ago.
The Wildcats’ win delivered the fourth-largest audience of the college basketball season, with Kentucky in three of the top four. Their Champions Classic game against Michigan State ranks second (2.273M) and their CBS Sports Classic matchup with Ohio State third (2.265M).
In other action, CBS drew a 0.6 and 889,000 for Wisconsin-Tennessee and ABC a 0.29 and 397,000 for Kansas-Stanford.
Mavs-Lakers tops previous NBA games on NFL Sundays
Sunday’s Mavericks-Lakers NBA regular season game averaged a 0.65 rating and 1.06 million viewers on ESPN, marking the least-watched game involving LeBron James since Clippers-Cavaliers on TNT in December 2016 (1.05M). The low numbers are no surprise given the competition from NBC’s Sunday Night Football (49ers-Seahawks: 12.5, 22.85M).
Ratings and viewership easily topped ESPN’s two previous NBA games opposite Sunday Night Football. The network drew a 0.25 and 377,000 for Bulls-Grizzlies opposite a rescheduled playoff game in 2017 and a 0.59 and 912,000 for Warriors-Nuggets in 2015.
Liga MX final hits three-year high
Sunday’s second leg of the Club America-Monterrey Liga MX Apertura final averaged 3.3 million viewers on Univision and TUDN, marking the largest audience for the Apertura season since 2016. The telecast, which peaked with 3.8 million from Midnight through the conclusion, nearly tripled the first leg of the final on Fox Deportes three nights earlier (1.34M).
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 12.31, CBS Sports, Univision, Austin Karp/Twitter 12.31]
