Television ratings
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) leaps over New York Giants cornerback Jason Pinnock (27) during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Sports on TV joins turkey, parade as holiday traditions

By David Bauder Nov. 30, 2022 04:43 PM EST

FILE - David Neal, executive producer of Fox's FIFA World Cup soccer coverage from Qatar, mingles during a preview event Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, in New York. Fox Sports executive producer David Neal first heard in 2015 that the World Cup was moving to near the holiday season and he thought it would be the biggest lump of coal for the network and soccer supporters. But Neal and others have discovered that the world’s biggest soccer tournament could be the ultimate gift for Fox, Telemundo and sports fans. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Fox, Telemundo see advantages to late fall World Cup

By Joe Reedy Nov. 16, 2022 04:17 AM EST

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) celebrates with safety Adrian Amos (31) after intercepting a ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Orchard Park. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Football, World Series most popular on television

Nov. 01, 2022 07:12 PM EDT

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) tries to pull in an incomplete pass in the endzone during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Nielsen, Amazon Prime spar over who really watches football

By David Bauder Oct. 25, 2022 01:17 PM EDT

Baltimore Ravens' Patrick Queen, top, is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Mixon, bottom, after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Football, dramas lead Nielsen's weekly top 20 list

Oct. 11, 2022 07:20 PM EDT

FILE - The national championship trophy is seen before a new conference for the NCAA college football playoff championship game between Clemson and Alabama, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The university presidents who oversee the College Football Playoff voted Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, to expand the postseason model for determining a national champion from four to 12 teams no later than the 2026 season.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Venues, dates, TV, NFL: How to assemble CFP expansion puzzle

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 20, 2022 12:09 PM EDT

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (55) gives chase as Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs the ball for a long gain in the second half of a NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Football's return dominates Nielsen television ratings

Sep. 13, 2022 06:50 PM EDT

FILE - Serena Williams, of the United States, returns a shot to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Australia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. It could have been just one night, but Williams' exit from tennis turned into a boon for ESPN. Williams' third-round defeat at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic had the largest audience of any tennis match in ESPN's 43-year history, beating the 3.9 million who watched the 2012 Wimbledon men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
US Open Women Singles

Sep. 07, 2022 03:27 PM EDT

FILE - Serena Williams, of the United States, returns a shot to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Australia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. It could have been just one night, but Williams' exit from tennis turned into a boon for ESPN. Williams' third-round defeat at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic had the largest audience of any tennis match in ESPN's 43-year history, beating the 3.9 million who watched the 2012 Wimbledon men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Serena Williams' goodbye to U.S. Open a ratings boon to ESPN

By David Bauder Sep. 07, 2022 03:26 PM EDT

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (28) runs the ball for a first down as Dallas Cowboys' Malik Hooker (28), Justin Hamilton (99), Jourdan Lewis (26) and Dorance Armstrong (92) attempt to make the stop in overtime of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Thanksgiving football, Big 10 rivalry game score in ratings

By David Bauder Dec. 01, 2021 04:53 PM EST

Georgia running back Zamir White runs over Clemson cornerback Mario Goodrich during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
College football's return boosts television ratings

By David Bauder Sep. 08, 2021 05:08 PM EDT

FILE - Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, left, jokes with LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley, right, as they pose with the College Football Championship trophy during a news conference ahead for the College Football playoffs in Atlanta, in this Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, file photo. The College Football Playoff would expand from four to 12 teams, with six spots reserved for the highest ranked conference champions, under a proposal that will be considered next week by the league commissioners who manage the postseason system. A 12-team playoff would also include six at-large selections and no limit on how many teams can come from any one conference, a person familiar with announcement told The Associated Press on Thursday, June 10, 2021. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the CFP has not yet released details. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
CFP expansion could increase annual revenue to $2 billion

By Ralph D. Russo Jun. 11, 2021 05:59 PM EDT

Baylor guard Jared Butler (12) drives up court past Gonzaga guard Aaron Cook (4) during the second half of the championship game in the men's Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 5, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
About 17 million view Baylor's championship win over Gonzaga

By David Bauder Apr. 06, 2021 06:25 PM EDT

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside linebacker Devin White (45) sacks Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during the second half of an NFL football game in Tampa, Fla., in this Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, file photo. Rodgers had his worst game of the season in Green Bay’s 38-10 loss at Tampa Bay Back on Oct. 18, as he threw two game-changing interceptions and completed less than half his pass attempts. Rodgers gets a chance to make amends for that performance Sunday when the top-seeded Packers host the Bucs in the NFC championship game. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken, File)
Comfort TV viewing gives ratings boost to football, dramas

By Lynn Elber Jan. 20, 2021 08:12 PM EST

USC Trojans v. Arizona State Sun Devils playing in an empty stadium in the first half of a NCAA football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 7, 2020. (Keith Birmingham/The Orange County Register via AP)
Pac-12's morning starts have some fans, some critics

By Anne M. Peterson Nov. 11, 2020 05:11 PM EST

LSU celebrates after winning a NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game against Clemson, Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, in New Orleans. LSU won 42-25. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
TV audience up slightly from last year for CFP championship

By Ralph D. Russo Jan. 14, 2020 04:13 PM EST

FILE- This Dec. 30, 2019, file photo shows empty seats as Western Kentucky and Western Michigan line up for the snap during the second half of the NCAA First Responder Bowl college football game in Dallas. Bowls outside the College Football Playoff structure might excite only the most ardent fans of the participating teams, be played in half-empty stadiums and prompt howls about there being too many games. They aren't going away, though. There'll be three more next season, bringing the total number of bowls to 42. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman, File)
Half-empty stadiums won't stop number of bowls from going up

By Eric Olson Jan. 09, 2020 12:20 PM EST

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney celebrates after Clemson defeated Ohio State 29-23 in the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Waiting game: 15 days between CFP semifinals, championship

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 29, 2019 02:47 PM EST

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) runs in for a touchdown against Dallas Cowboys' Chidobe Awuzie (24) during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
NFL, NCAA football fuel Fox TV's win of the prime-time week

By Andrew Dalton Dec. 10, 2019 06:34 PM EST

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) warms up before an NCAA football game against LSU, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, in Tuscaloosa , Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt))
LSU-Alabama game a big winner for CBS over the weekend

By David Bauder Nov. 12, 2019 05:58 PM EST