NFL ratings are, by any measure, superb. That being said, ratings for every game so far this season on NBC, FOX and ESPN have fallen from last year’s levels. Through Week 2, metered market ratings for NBC, FOX and ESPN are down 6%, 7% and 10%, respectively, from last year.
While the three most high profile of the NFL’s broadcast partners falter, relatively understated CBS has seen its ratings rise substantially. So far this season, CBS is averaging a 10.9 metered market rating for its three NFL broadcast windows, up 14% from a 9.6 rating through Week 2 of last year.
The same pattern has also shown in the ratings for the NFL pregame shows, as FOX NFL Sunday and Football Night in America are both down from last year, while ratings for The NFL Today are up markedly. The NFL Today is averaging a national rating of 3.4, up 13% from a 3.0 in 2006, and 22% higher than the 2.8 national rating FOX NFL Sunday has averaged through Week 2. The 3.3 rating for The NFL Today last Sunday made Week 2 “the second consecutive week CBS beat Fox in pregame. That happened four times last year, but before then, just once since CBS regained NFL rights in ’98.”
