Television ratings grow for college football, especially for SEC

Television ratings grow for college football

NEW YORK — College football drew big television audiences this season.

The SEC, with Alabama’s and Florida’s undefeated runs to the conference title game, was especially popular. The SEC package on CBS averaged its highest rating since college football returned to the network in 1996. The 4.4 rating was up 29 percent from last year.

That beat the average rating on ABC for the first time since 1990. Ratings on ABC were down slightly to a 3.9. But partner ESPN had its highest rating since 1999; the 2.2 was up 10 percent from last year.

Ratings represent the percentage of all households with televisions tuned into a program.

ABC and ESPN are units of The Walt Disney Co.