SEC Football: College football ratings down in 2017

On Monday, Sports Illustrated reported that television ratings were down in the 2017 college football regular season. Of the six main networks, four saw viewership decreases, including SEC on CBS.

One of the biggest stories in the sports world for the past year has been the NFL’s declining viewership. While far less publicized, the college game has not been immune to that same problem.

The four networks that took a hit were CBS (down 10%), ABC (down 18%), NBC (down 3%), and ESPN (down 6%). The addition of the Big Ten helped the Fox networks, as Fox saw a whopping 23% increase in viewership, and sister-station FS1 was up 4%.

The discussion around streaming and cord-cutting has been happening for a few years now. While standard cable is still the primary vehicle fans use to watch games, streaming has recently taken a progressively bigger slice of the pie.

ESPN may be the biggest example of the shift to streaming. If you watch any given college football broadcast on ESPN, you’re essentially watching an ad for their app. Given their insistence that viewers download the app, stream anywhere, and any of their other buzzwords and phrases, it’s hard to imagine them expecting to keep viewers on television while consistently pushing them away.

CBS, while offering an even easier streaming experience, likely saw a downtick for a different reason. Getting the premier game in the best conference, the network has been a ratings juggernaut. SEC on CBS was still the most-watched package in the sport, but its slate of games was not nearly as strong as in past years.

More from Southbound and Down

• Texas A&M vs. Auburn: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
• 3 Up’s, 3 Down’s from Georgia’s 24-14 Win Over South Carolina
• Ole Miss Football: Looking back at the Rebels career of Zedrick Woods
• Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
• “Horns Down” will not be a Penalty in the SEC

While there were three elite teams at the top of the conference, the middle of the SEC was not as strong as in years past. This resulted in games like Georgia-Florida and Alabama-Tennessee being over by halftime. Other SEC on CBS offerings included an Alabama blowout of Vanderbilt, a Georgia blowout of Tennessee, and an early season TCU-Arkansas matchup that didn’t move the needle strongly. Even the late season Georgia-Kentucky matchup, while competitive at times, did not have marquee value.

Ultimately, college football is in no trouble. The NFL, to provide just a few streaming options, signed a deal with Verizon for $2.5 billion over five years, and streaming is a far bigger part of the college football viewing experience. Viewing habits may be changing, but viewers aren’t leaving.  The sport is as healthy as ever.