Ratings Roundup: SEC on CBS Down from 2009, Still Top-rated College Football Package

CBS Sports’ national coverage of the 2010 SEC season was the highest-rated regular-season college football package on any network for the second consecutive season, averaging a national household rating of 4.2 and 6.9 million viewers. The SEC ON CBS topped ABC’s season average of 3.5 for college football for the second time since 1990. However, CBS’ numbers were down 4.5% from last season when it set a record…

…Last weekend’s Eagles-Cowboys game (a 30-27 Eagles victory) was the most-watched Sunday Night Football telecast ever, drawing in 25.73 million viewers. That is best in the five-year history of Sunday Night Football and a gain of 23% over last year’s Week 14 game (Eagles-Giants, 20.9 million). The 15.2 national was the second-best ever for SNF. In addition, it was the No. 1 show on Sunday night for the 14^th consecutive week, the No. 1 primetime show of the week, and the most-watched show of the entire 2010 primetime season…

…On Tuesday, Versus coverage of the Penguins and Flyers earned the network its regular-season NHL audience ever, logging 750,000 viewers on, the largest audience ever for a regular-season NHL telecast on the network. The Flyers and Penguins also set the previous record when the two teams met on opening night this season and drew 730,000 viewers…

…ESPN’s acclaimed 30 for 30 series of documentaries finished off its highly acclaimed run by posting the largest rating and audience ever for and ESPN documentary. The premier of Thaddeus D. Matula’s Pony Exce$$ posted a 1.8 rating (2.517,000 viewers) on Dec. 11, immediately following the Heisman Trophy presentation. Pony Exce$$ edged out Billy Corben’s The U, which earned a 1.8 rating (2.368,000 viewers) in December 2009, and Jon Hock’s The Best That Never Was, which earned a 1.8  rating (2,229,000 viewers) last month. Overall, the 30 for 30 slate of 30 films averaged a 1.0 rating (1,193,000 viewers)…

…ESPN’s coverage of the Heisman Trophy Presentation on Saturday was the lowest rated since 2006. Despite the controversy surrounding eventual winner Cam Newton, ESPN drew a 2.3 U.S. rating and 3.784 million viewers, down 34% in ratings and 37% in viewership from last year (3.5, 5.990 million). This marks the lowest rated, least-viewed Heisman Trophy Presentation since 2006 (2.0, 2.950 million)…

…Last Monday’s Barclays Premier League match, a 1-0 home win for Manchester United over Arsenal, was seen on ESPN2 by an average of 438,000 homes (570,000 viewers), making it the most-watched Premiership telecast on U.S. cable television.  The telecast beat the previous high of 420,000 homes (526,000 viewers) for Manchester United vs. Chelsea on April 3, 2010.  Through the first 21 matches of the season, ESPN2 is averaging a 0.3 household rating, 261,000 households and 324,000 viewers, increases of 50% in ratings and 25% in viewers (260,000) versus the first 20 matches in the 2009–2010 season…

…Wednesday’s Knicks/Celtics game on MSG Network scored a 3.61 household rating (271,303 homes), the highest rated Knicks game on MSG Network since Opening Night (October 31) of 2001 – Michael Jordan’s second return to the NBA with the Washington Wizards (4.76). Combined with ESPN’s telecast Wednesday night, the game registered a HH Nielsen rating of 6.27 (471, 211 homes). Through 25 games the Knicks are averaging a 1.27 HH Nielsen rating on MSG Network, up 17 percent compared to last season (1.09 HH Nielsen rating).