NFL games aren't the only ones seeing a surge in ratings this fall.
College football is up on broadcast thanks to another exciting season, with six teams still undefeated and fighting for a chance at the national title game in January. By comparison, last year at this time there were five undefeated teams.
CBS is having its best college football season since 1996. The network is averaging a 4.0 Nielsen household rating for its Southeastern Conference (SEC) games, which generally air late Saturday afternoon but sometimes start in primetime.
That's up 29 percent over last year's 3.1 average, and it marks the first time that CBS has led ABC, which carries Big Ten, Pac-10, Big 12, Big East and ACC games, since at least 1996.
But ABC, too, is up over last year. Its Saturday afternoon games are averaging a 3.8 rating, 12 percent better than the 3.4 it was averaging at this time last year.
The network's Saturday primetime games are actually down from last year, from a 3.9 to a 4.8, but that's largely due to competition from Fox's American League Championship Series and World Series, which were both way up over last year with the New York Yankees playing.
So why the kick-up in ratings for the Saturday afternoon games?
As always, the biggest reason is storylines. College football is full of exciting ones this year, and many are in the SEC, which CBS carries exclusively.
The SEC has the country's No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams, Florida and Alabama, both of which are 10-0. LSU, which has lost twice, was ranked fourth in the country when it faced Florida in primetime last month, though the squad has since slid to 10th.
The SEC also has several Heisman candidates, the most obvious being quarterback Tim Tebow, who won college football's top honor two seasons ago. People always want to see the best college football players in the country play, so that they can judge for themselves who deserves the award.
Meanwhile, ABC has carried some of the other national title hopefuls, including 10-0 Texas and Cincinnati.
It also has the promotional muscle of ESPN behind it. The cable network airs college football analysis shows all day long, and it directs people to games in progress on ABC.
***
In broadcast ratings for the week ended Nov. 15:
Among adults 18-49, ABC was first with a 3.2 average rating and a 9 share, followed by Fox at 3.1/8, NBC and CBS at 2.8/8, Univision at 1.3/4, CW at 1.1/3, Telemundo at 0.5/1, Telefutura at 0.4/1, Ion at 0.3/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Among adults 18-34, Fox was first with a 3.0 average rating and a 9 share, followed by ABC at 2.5/8, NBC at 2.4/7, CBS at 1.9/6, CW at 1.4/4, Univision at 1.3/4, Telemundo at 0.5/2, Telefutura at 0.5/1, Ion at 0.2/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Among adults 25-54, ABC was first with a 3.9 average rating and a 10 share, followed by CBS at 3.7/9, Fox at 3.3/8, NBC at 3.2/8, Univision at 1.3/3, CW at 1.0/2, Telemundo at 0.5/1, Telefutura and Ion at 0.4/1, and Azteca at 0.1/0.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): 1. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” 8.6; 2. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 5.6; Tie-3. ABC’s “CMA Awards” and Fox’s “House” 5.3; 5. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 5.0.
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” 22.39 million; 2. CBS’s “NCIS” 20.96 million; 3. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 17.62 million; 4. CBS’s “CSI” 17.38 million; 5. ABC’s “CMA Awards” 17.18 million.
Top five time-shifted English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, by Live+7 playback, week ended Oct. 25): 1. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 2.3 increase (up 34 percent); 2. NBC’s “The Office” 2.3 increase (up 41 percent); 3. CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” 1.8 increase (up 29 percent); 4. Fox’s “House” 1.6 increase (up 31 percent); 5. Fox’s “Glee” 1.6 increase (up 39 percent).
Show on the rise: “Private Practice,” ABC, Thursday 10 p.m. The “Grey’s Anatomy” lead-out posted a 3.9 rating among 18-49s, up 15 percent versus the previous week’s 3.4
Show on the decline: “20/20,” ABC, Friday 10 p.m. Following the previous week's Rihanna interview, the newsmagazine slipped 29 percent week-to-week among 18-49s, from a 2.8 rating to a 2.0.
|
WEEKLY PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 15 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS
|
7.2
|
8270
|
12
|
3.9
|
11470
|
10
|
2.8
|
3720
|
8
|
|
ABC
|
7.0
|
7990
|
11
|
3.8
|
11150
|
10
|
3.2
|
4200
|
9
|
|
NBC
|
5.1
|
5860
|
8
|
2.8
|
8120
|
7
|
2.8
|
3670
|
8
|
|
FOX
|
4.8
|
5530
|
8
|
2.7
|
8020
|
7
|
3.1
|
4030
|
8
|
|
UNI
|
1.8
|
2030
|
3
|
1.1
|
3330
|
3
|
1.3
|
1680
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.5
|
1730
|
2
|
0.8
|
2350
|
2
|
1.1
|
1490
|
3
|
|
ION
|
0.6
|
700
|
1
|
0.3
|
930
|
1
|
0.3
|
380
|
1
|
|
TEL
|
0.6
|
640
|
1
|
0.4
|
1070
|
1
|
0.5
|
640
|
1
|
|
TF
|
0.5
|
530
|
1
|
0.3
|
970
|
1
|
0.4
|
560
|
1
|
|
AZA
|
0.1
|
140
|
0
|
0.1
|
190
|
0
|
0.1
|
110
|
0
|
|
*
Each rating point is equivalent to
1. 149
million homes
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
SEASON-TO-DATE PRIMETIME AVERAGES BY NETWORK
Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 15 |
|
Network
|
Households
|
People 2+
|
Adults 18-49
|
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
Shr
|
|
CBS
|
7.5
|
8650
|
12
|
4.1
|
12090
|
11
|
3.2
|
4230
|
9
|
|
ABC
|
6.6
|
7540
|
11
|
3.5
|
10290
|
9
|
3.1
|
4080
|
8
|
|
FOX
|
5.9
|
6830
|
10
|
3.4
|
9930
|
9
|
3.7
|
4850
|
10
|
|
NBC
|
4.9
|
5640
|
8
|
2.7
|
7820
|
7
|
2.7
|
3590
|
7
|
|
UNI
|
1.9
|
2130
|
3
|
1.2
|
3570
|
3
|
1.4
|
1840
|
4
|
|
CW
|
1.7
|
1930
|
3
|
0.9
|
2540
|
2
|
1.2
|
1620
|
3
|
|
ION
|
0.6
|
650
|
1
|
0.3
|
840
|
1
|
0.3
|
330
|
1
|
|
TEL
|
0.5
|
610
|
1
|
0.4
|
1050
|
1
|
0.5
|
640
|
1
|
|
TF
|
0.4
|
510
|
1
|
0.3
|
870
|
1
|
0.4
|
530
|
1
|
|
AZA
|
0.1
|
140
|
0
|
0.1
|
210
|
0
|
0.1
|
130
|
0
|
|
*
Each rating point is equivalent to
1. 149
million homes
Note: Season-to-date estimates are a weighted average of pre-TSV and Live+SD data.
Source: Nielsen Media Research
|
|
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 15 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
HOUSEHOLDS |
PERSONS 2+ |
|
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
# |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
|
NBC
|
13.7
|
22
|
15755
|
1
|
7.7
|
22392
|
|
2
|
NCIS
|
CBS
|
12.7
|
20
|
14577
|
2
|
7.2
|
20962
|
|
3
|
DANCING WITH THE STARS
|
ABC
|
11.2
|
17
|
12823
|
3
|
6.0
|
17622
|
|
4
|
CSI
|
CBS
|
10.9
|
17
|
12508
|
3
|
6.0
|
17380
|
|
5
|
MENTALIST, THE
|
CBS
|
10.4
|
18
|
12005
|
9
|
5.5
|
16169
|
|
5
|
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
|
NBC
|
10.4
|
16
|
11927
|
6
|
5.8
|
17015
|
|
7
|
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
|
ABC
|
10.3
|
16
|
11855
|
7
|
5.6
|
16231
|
|
8
|
CMA AWARDS(S)
|
ABC
|
10.2
|
16
|
11764
|
5
|
5.9
|
17177
|
|
9
|
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
|
CBS
|
9.9
|
15
|
11426
|
7
|
5.6
|
16233
|
|
10
|
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
|
ABC
|
9.6
|
15
|
11082
|
10
|
5.1
|
14869
|
|
11
|
CSI: NY
|
CBS
|
9.3
|
16
|
10685
|
11
|
5.0
|
14507
|
|
12
|
CSI:
MIAMI
|
CBS
|
9.2
|
15
|
10520
|
13
|
4.9
|
14382
|
|
13
|
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
|
ABC
|
8.9
|
13
|
10211
|
11
|
5.0
|
14718
|
|
13
|
TWO AND A HALF MEN
|
CBS
|
8.9
|
13
|
10251
|
13
|
4.9
|
14439
|
|
15
|
GOOD WIFE, THE
|
CBS
|
8.8
|
15
|
10133
|
15
|
4.6
|
13352
|
|
16
|
60 MINUTES
|
CBS
|
8.4
|
14
|
9644
|
17
|
4.5
|
13077
|
|
17
|
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
|
CBS
|
7.9
|
12
|
9031
|
18
|
4.4
|
12795
|
|
17
|
CRIMINAL MINDS
|
CBS
|
7.9
|
12
|
9098
|
18
|
4.4
|
12769
|
|
19
|
HOUSE
|
FOX
|
7.6
|
11
|
8734
|
15
|
4.6
|
13311
|
|
20
|
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
|
CBS
|
7.5
|
12
|
8669
|
18
|
4.4
|
12941
|
|
21
|
OT, THE
|
FOX
|
7.4
|
12
|
8553
|
21
|
4.2
|
12238
|
|
22
|
FOOTBALL NT
AMERICA PT 3
|
NBC
|
7.3
|
12
|
8411
|
22
|
4.1
|
11919
|
|
23
|
BROTHERS & SISTERS
|
ABC
|
6.7
|
11
|
7695
|
26
|
3.5
|
10085
|
|
23
|
EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P
|
ABC
|
6.7
|
10
|
7735
|
23
|
4.0
|
11708
|
|
23
|
PRIVATE PRACTICE
|
ABC
|
6.7
|
11
|
7735
|
26
|
3.5
|
10249
|
|
23
|
V
|
ABC
|
6.7
|
10
|
7666
|
25
|
3.7
|
10699
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
TOP 25 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST
Adults 18-49
Week Ending November 15 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
Rtg% |
(000) |
|
1
|
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
|
NBC
|
8.6
|
11256
|
|
2
|
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
|
NBC
|
6.0
|
7834
|
|
3
|
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
|
ABC
|
5.6
|
7357
|
|
4
|
CMA AWARDS(S)
|
ABC
|
5.3
|
6945
|
|
4
|
HOUSE
|
FOX
|
5.3
|
6924
|
|
6
|
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
|
ABC
|
5.0
|
6590
|
|
7
|
OT, THE
|
FOX
|
4.9
|
6383
|
|
8
|
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
|
CBS
|
4.7
|
6146
|
|
9
|
TWO AND A HALF MEN
|
CBS
|
4.6
|
5999
|
|
10
|
NCIS
|
CBS
|
4.4
|
5727
|
|
11
|
SIMPSONS
|
FOX
|
4.3
|
5673
|
|
12
|
FAMILY GUY
|
FOX
|
4.2
|
5579
|
|
12
|
OFFICE
|
NBC
|
4.2
|
5475
|
|
14
|
CSI
|
CBS
|
4.1
|
5426
|
|
14
|
FOOTBALL NT
AMERICA PT 3
|
NBC
|
4.1
|
5410
|
|
16
|
CSI:
MIAMI
|
CBS
|
4.0
|
5296
|
|
16
|
SURVIVOR:
SAMOA
|
CBS
|
4.0
|
5203
|
|
18
|
PRIVATE PRACTICE
|
ABC
|
3.9
|
5083
|
|
19
|
BIGGEST LOSER 8
|
NBC
|
3.8
|
4949
|
|
19
|
CSI: NY
|
CBS
|
3.8
|
4962
|
|
19
|
V
|
ABC
|
3.8
|
5048
|
|
22
|
EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P
|
ABC
|
3.7
|
4852
|
|
22
|
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
|
CBS
|
3.7
|
4882
|
|
24
|
MENTALIST, THE
|
CBS
|
3.6
|
4758
|
|
25
|
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
|
ABC
|
3.5
|
4571
|
|
25
|
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
|
CBS
|
3.5
|
4663
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
SPANISH-LANGUAGE TELEVISION (WEEKLY COLLAPSED)
Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 8 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+ (000) |
|
1
|
LATIN GRAMMY 09 11/5(S)-11/05/2009
|
UNI
|
25.4
|
5822
|
|
2
|
SORTILEGIO M-F
|
UNI
|
19.9
|
4380
|
|
3
|
NOCHE DE ESTRELLAS 11/5(S)-11/05/2009
|
UNI
|
18.9
|
4067
|
|
4
|
EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR M-F
|
UNI
|
16.9
|
3734
|
|
5
|
CRISTINA MON
|
UNI
|
15.3
|
3051
|
|
6
|
AQUI Y AHORA TUE
|
UNI
|
15.2
|
3030
|
|
7
|
LO Q NO VIO L GRAMMY 11/6(S)-11/06/2009
|
UNI
|
14.9
|
3118
|
|
8
|
DON FRANCISCO PRESENTA WE
|
UNI
|
14.6
|
2706
|
|
9
|
GANCHO AL CORAZON M-F
|
UNI
|
13.7
|
2960
|
|
10
|
VIVA EL SUENO SUN
|
UNI
|
12.3
|
2605
|
|
11
|
SABADO GIGANTE SAT
|
UNI
|
12.2
|
2590
|
|
12
|
QUIEN TIENE RAZON? EE SUN
|
UNI
|
11.9
|
2330
|
|
13
|
FAMILIA P. LUCHE SAT
|
UNI
|
9.3
|
2122
|
|
14
|
MARIA TODOS ANGELES SUN
|
UNI
|
6.9
|
1491
|
|
15
|
MAS SABE EL DIABLO M-F
|
TEL
|
6.2
|
1318
|
|
16
|
FUTBOL ESTELAR 11/5(S)-11/05/2009
|
TEL
|
6.0
|
1228
|
|
17
|
VERDADES PABLO MNTERO11/8(S)-11/08/2009
|
TF
|
5.2
|
1095
|
|
18
|
CINE DE LAS ESTREL SUN
|
TF
|
4.9
|
1123
|
|
18
|
FUTBOL ESTELAR II
|
TEL
|
4.9
|
1103
|
|
20
|
CINE EN CASA
|
TEL
|
4.8
|
1272
|
|
21
|
CINE MILLONARIO
|
TEL
|
4.7
|
1085
|
|
22
|
BETTY LA FEA M-F
|
TF
|
4.6
|
1034
|
|
23
|
VECINOS M-F
|
TF
|
4.3
|
1022
|
|
24
|
FUTBOL ESTELAR 11/4(S)-11/04/2009
|
TEL
|
4.1
|
825
|
|
25
|
VICTORINOS M-F
|
TEL
|
4.0
|
908
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
HISPANIC ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VIEWING
Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 1 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+(000) |
|
1
|
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 6(S)-11/04/2009
|
FOX
|
13.5
|
2795
|
|
2
|
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 5(S)-11/02/2009
|
FOX
|
10.1
|
1870
|
|
3
|
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
|
NBC
|
9.3
|
1944
|
|
4
|
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
|
NBC
|
7.3
|
1603
|
|
5
|
V
|
ABC
|
5.8
|
1190
|
|
6
|
FAMILY GUY
|
FOX
|
4.9
|
983
|
|
7
|
GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
|
ABC
|
4.7
|
885
|
|
8
|
DANCING WITH THE STARS
|
ABC
|
4.5
|
796
|
|
8
|
FOOTBALL NT
AMERICA PT 3
|
NBC
|
4.5
|
1016
|
|
10
|
FOX WORLD SERIES GM6-PRE(S)-11/04/2009
|
FOX
|
4.4
|
905
|
|
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
AFRICAN AMERICAN AUDIENCE ESTIMATES
Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 8
|
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Rtg |
P2+(000) |
|
1
|
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
|
NBC
|
18.2
|
3805
|
|
2
|
SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK
|
NBC
|
12.7
|
2685
|
|
3
|
20/20-FRI
|
ABC
|
11.4
|
2235
|
|
4
|
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 6
|
FOX
|
11.2
|
2098
|
|
5
|
60 MINUTES
|
CBS
|
10.0
|
1987
|
|
6
|
V
|
ABC
|
9.7
|
1826
|
|
7
|
CSI:
MIAMI
|
CBS
|
9.0
|
1674
|
|
8
|
FOOTBALL NT
AMERICA PT 3
|
NBC
|
8.7
|
1767
|
|
9
|
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
|
CBS
|
8.6
|
1494
|
|
10
|
DANCING WITH THE STARS
|
ABC
|
8.3
|
1433
|
|
* Ratings based on 13.65 million African American TV homes.
Source: Nielsen Media Research |
|
TOP 20 NETWORK SPORTS PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending November 8 |
|
# |
PROGRAMS |
Net |
Episode |
Households |
Persons 2+ |
|
US
Rtg% |
Shr |
(000) |
(000) |
|
1 |
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 6-11/04/2009
|
FOX
|
PHILADELPHIA
AT NY YANKEES
|
13.4
|
22
|
15418
|
22339
|
|
2 |
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL-11/08/2009
|
NBC
|
DALLAS
AT
PHILADELPHIA
|
13.1
|
21
|
15041
|
21883
|
|
3 |
CBS NFL NATIONAL-11/08/2009
|
CBS
|
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES
|
11.8
|
22
|
13502
|
19285
|
|
4 |
FOX WORLD SERIES GAME 5-11/02/2009
|
FOX
|
NY YANKEES AT
PHILADELPHIA
|
10.6
|
16
|
12145
|
17092
|
|
5 |
FOX NFL SUNDAY-SINGLE-11/08/2009
|
FOX
|
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES
|
9.7
|
22
|
11156
|
15866
|
|
6 |
CBS NFL REGIONAL-11/08/2009
|
CBS
|
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES
|
8.7
|
20
|
9960
|
13870
|
|
7 |
FOX NFL SUNDAY-PST GN-NAT-11/08/2009
|
FOX
|
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES
|
7.2
|
15
|
8292
|
11910
|
|
8 |
HOME DEPOT CLLG FOOTBALL2-11/07/2009
|
CBS
|
LSU AT
ALABAMA
|
4.3
|
10
|
4984
|
6735
|
|
9 |
ABC
COLLEGE
FTBL GM-LATE-11/07/2009
|
ABC
|
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES
|
3.7
|
9
|
4259
|
5863
|
|
10 |
DICKIES 500-11/08/2009
|
ABC
|
TEXAS
|
3.7
|
7
|
4264
|
5827
|
|
11 |
SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL-11/07/2009
|
ABC
|
VARIOUS TEAMS AND TIMES
|
3.6
|
7
|
4190
|
5993
|
|
12 |
CBS SAT NIGHT FIGHTS-11/07/2009
|
CBS
|
|
2.5
|
5
|
2827
|
4042
|
|
13 |
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL-11/07/2009
|
NBC
|
NAVY AT NOTRE DAME
|
1.9
|
5
|
2155
|
2809
|
|
14 |
BREEDER'S CUP CHALLENGE-11/07/2009
|
ABC
|
|
0.9
|
3
|
1082
|
1383
|
|
15 |
FUTBOL LIGA MEXICANA SUN-11/08/2009
|
UNI
|
AMERICA
VS
MONTERREY
|
0.9
|
2
|
983
|
1557
|
|
16 |
NBC SPORTS SPECIAL 11/8-C-11/08/2009
|
NBC
|
PRO BULL RIDING
|
0.8
|
2
|
922
|
1214
|
|
17 |
FUTBOL ESTELAR 11/5-11/05/2009
|
TEL
|
UNAM VS
AMERICA
|
0.7
|
1
|
794
|
1255
|
|
18 |
NBC SPORTS SPECIAL 11/8-B-11/08/2009
|
NBC
|
GRAND PRIX SKATE
|
0.7
|
2
|
848
|
1029
|
|
19 |
FUTBOL ESTELAR II-11/07/2009
|
TEL
|
ATLAS VS CHIVAS
|
