UGA-Bama was most-watched TV game of college season
Alabama’s victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship game drew the largest national television audience of any college football game so far this season.
The CBS telecast of Saturday’s game from the Georgia Dome posted a national Nielsen rating of 9.8, meaning 9.8 percent of U.S. households with televisions tuned in on average. Previously, the highest rated game of the college season was the Nov. 24 Notre Dame-USC game, which posted a 9.4 national rating.
CBS said the SEC title game averaged 16.2 million viewers across the country, peaking at 21.8 million for the final half hour of the telecast..
Locally, almost one-third of metro Atlanta households watched the game on average. The local rating of 32.2 was the highest for any football game — college or pro — on Atlanta TV since this year’s Super Bowl, which posted a 51.3 rating here.
The highest local ratings for Falcons games so far this season are 31.8 for last Thursday’s game against the Saints and 31.1 for the Nov. 4 game against the Cowboys.
One market had a higher rating than Atlanta for the SEC title game: Birmingham, which posted a super-sized 52.6.
Among the nation’s 56 largest markets, the highest ratings for the game outside Birmingham and Atlanta were posted in Jacksonville (22.7), New Orleans (21.5) and Nashville (21.0).
The Atlanta rating translated to an audience of about 740,000 households on average. The local audience peaked with a 39.4 rating — about 900,000 homes — for the telecast’s final 15 minutes.
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169 comments Add your comment
Drexel Gal
December 5th, 2012
4:06 pm
This is merely more evidence of why Georgia Tech should say “yes” to the Big 10. Sure, they will be a small fish in a big pond, but it will be a LUCRATIVE pond. Just think of playing televised road games against Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State, before crowds of more than 100.000 — instead of 19,000 at Duke. The cut of the TV and ticket revenue would ease a lot of financial burdens. Georgia Tech could be to the Big 10 what Vanderbilt is to the SEC. And, the Big 10 would provide a grat balance of strong football and basketball prominence, rather than sacrificing one for the other. Let’s face it, the ACC’s dream of a Miami-FSU matchup each year for the conference title didn’t materialize. Even if it did, Miami does not have the cache it did during its glory days.
Cal22
December 5th, 2012
5:12 pm
smlarsen, thanks for spouting some facts about my team since there’s so little to say about yours.
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
December 5th, 2012
7:34 pm
@ Moist dawg:
Too bad your parents didn’t practice SAFE SEX……………..idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
December 5th, 2012
8:03 pm
@ Chase(10;27 am post)
Damn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You would think UGA is an NFL team with consistant Super Bowl wins!!!!!!
Those Nebraska folks are really building Dawg Nation egos.
That link should be required reading for ALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS!!!!!!
This also restores my faith in those expressing serious concern about having to play against UGA coaches and players.
BUT………………………………………………..UGA better be ready like they were for the latter half of the season or there will be more agonizing over our DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KenTheDiesel
December 5th, 2012
10:26 pm
For the people beating up Aaron Murray for the Championship loss, the last time I looked at the stats he was not on the field for 37 minutes, didn’t give up 512 total yards, 350 rushing yards, 7 yards a carry and 32 points. Granted Mark Richt is not an elite coach like Nick Saban but he put them in position to win. When you gain 394 yards and score 28 points in the SEC you usually win, right?
Why is the defensive play calling and lack of adjustments of Todd Grantham not being roasted? Very few statements have been made concerning his atrocious defense in both the championship and the South Carolina butt-kicking, games where his defense was ran roughshod over yet he magically has escaped the wrath of the Bulldog Nation. He was hired for big-time defense in just such occasions and if Richt is not worth his contract then by comparison Grantham is downright conning money out of UGA.
AtlG8tr
December 6th, 2012
8:25 am
Looking forward to highlights from this noble UGA loss shown as often as Lindsey Scott play. What’s wrong with you people thinking failure is a good thing, mediocrity is acceptable and your under-performing coach is a hero? Strangest, most mentally challenged fans in college football.
smlarsen
December 6th, 2012
9:56 am
For all you ladies talking S*** about Richt.. I would like you to reflect on the fact that he is the WINNINGEST coach in the sec at this point. So you can say what you want and no he doesn’t have a national championship but numbers are numbers and the numbers say he has won more than les or saban. Keep your mouths shut about Richt.
Tide/Dawg
December 6th, 2012
11:06 am
I’m curious who this “Put…Ken “person is, or what he is. How about it Put..Ken? Give us your bio.
Tide/Dawg
December 6th, 2012
11:59 am
Drexel Ga(I hope you’re a gal) It’s nice to see a lady interested enough in football to take time to write. You make a good point about Tech. However, if they moved to a higher league, they would be a doormat. In The ACC they’re just a hallway rug and they get to go to a bowl game with a 6-7 record. No dis-respect intended but as long as PJ is their coach that’s what it will be. I want to see them win, but PJ can’t recruit, or won’t recruit defensive players. His ego won’t allow him to hire an offensive coordinator. He evidently doesn’t have enough confidence in his assistants to let them coach. He is hands on all phases of the game, he berates his players in public and nothing seems to be his fault. GT is lucky to be in the ACC where mediocrity is acceptable. This not good for a once proud football university.
WDE
December 6th, 2012
2:49 pm
AtlG8tr tell you what asshat you keep your HC we will keep ours…
yellow hammer
December 6th, 2012
10:13 pm
Well, Here we go with the wait till next year bit already.
Ron Burgundy
December 7th, 2012
2:30 pm
Everybody loves to see the Dawgs get beat
mike addington
December 8th, 2012
9:39 am
Great slobber-knocking football game. Brutal. Game 4 big time players and there were no losers. one team just had more points than the other when time ran out. Love this team and the standard they set. Proud of every one of you DAWGS. U R DAWGS forever.
Erin "spike the ball" Murray
December 8th, 2012
10:30 am
Everyone watched me CHOKE on the biggest play of the game… Oh well another 31 years I guess.
GO dawgs!
coredawg
December 8th, 2012
7:49 pm
Hey Put, you are just proving what everybody knows. Georgia will always outclass you and your inbred fans. It’s a fact and nothing you can do about it except show your ignorance.
timeout
December 10th, 2012
12:07 am
put in 1 vs another team besides uga that went to sec champ…besides dawgs…lol
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
December 11th, 2012
6:54 pm
@ Tidedawg:
“Put” is Jerry Sandusky and “Turd Roll” is Sandusky’s showering buddy!!!
Remember you heard it here first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
December 11th, 2012
7:00 pm
@ Ron Burgundy:
If you love to see the Dawgs lose your life must be miserable since CMR came on board 12 years ago and is the 3rd winningest active coach in America trailing ONLY Urban Meyer and Chris Peterson !!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a nice life because Cmr and Company will be at UGA as long as CMR likes!!!!!!!!!!!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
December 11th, 2012
7:06 pm
@ Time Out:
You may drink Wild Turkey but don’t eat any turkey because that would be considered CANABALISM!!