Additional sports TV ratings news, including the U.S. Open Series and Little League World Series.
The Clijsters/Sharapova Cincinnati Masters Women’s Final drew a 0.5 U.S. rating and 902,000 viewers on ESPN2 August 15, the second-most viewed U.S. Open Series match ever on ESPN2. Meanwhile, the August 22 Federer/Fish Men’s Final drew a 0.9 on CBS, up 29% from Federer/Djokovic last year (0.7). (World Tennis, via Fang’s Bites; Sports Business Daily)
Wednesday’s Pearland, TX/Auburn, WA Little League World Series game drew a 6.1 rating in the Houston market, the highest rating ever for a LLWS game in the market. The previous high was a comparably small 3.7 for the 2004 U.S. Championship Game. To put the numbers in perspective, Wednesday night’s Astros/Phillies game drew a 2.4. (Houston Chronicle)
Elsewhere in the Little League World Series, Saturday’s Columbus/Waiphau game drew a 1.0 final rating on ABC, down a tick from Warner Robins/Staten Island on the comparable date last year (1.1). Meanwhile, Sunday’s Waiphau/Toms River game drew a 1.1, up 38% from last year’s Russelville/San Antonio game (0.8). (Sports Business Daily)
In a long-rumored move, the NFL has expanded its Thursday night package by five games starting next season. NFL Network will televise thirteen Thursday night regular season games starting next season, the NFL announced Friday. The Thursday Night Football schedule will run from Week 2 to Week 11 and then again from Week 13 to Week 15. NBC will air the Thursday night game in Week 1 (NFL Kickoff Game) and Week 12 (Thanksgiving night). Previously, NFL Network televised eight [...]
For all the talk about parity in the NFL, it should be pointed out that the league’s recent ratings success can be attributed to marquee franchises, star players, and big markets — the same mix on which Major League Baseball and the NBA are criticized for relying. The Super Bowl has somehow increased in popularity over the past half-decade. The game has added approximately fifteen million viewers between 2005 and 2011, with viewership rising in each successive season. While some [...]
Recent sports TV ratings, including weekend coverage of the X Games on ESPN, local ratings for the San Jose Sharks on CSN Bay Area, and a decline for college football’s Senior Bowl. Sunday’s X Games Coverage Up Double-Digits: Sunday’s Winter X Games telecast on ESPN earned a 1.2 U.S. rating and 2.015 million viewers, up 33% in ratings and 25% in viewership from last year (0.9, 1.619M). The telecast benefited from a lead-in by an NBA regular season game (SA/DAL: [...]
After last year’s seven-year high, viewership declined for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. Sunday’s NHL All-Star Game earned a 0.8 U.S. rating and 1.317 million viewers on NBC Sports Network, flat in ratings and down 11% in viewership from last year (0.8, 1.481M), but up 33% and 21%, respectively, from the 2009 game (0.6, 1.087M). Due to the Winter Olympics, there was no All-Star Game in 2010. Though down from last year, this marks the second-most viewed NHL All-Star Game [...]
For the third straight year, the NFL is riding a wave of momentum into the Super Bowl. The NFL Conference Championship games averaged 53.7 million viewers on FOX and CBS, up 1% from last year (53.4M), up 2% from 2010 (52.9M), and the highest average for the Conference Championship round since the 1981-82 season (60.2M). This marks the third straight season the Conference Championship round has been the most-viewed since ’82. Earlier in the postseason, the four Divisional Round games [...]
Recent sports TV ratings notes, including big increases for the NBA on TNT, record ratings for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and a double-digit rise for Capitals/Penguins on NBC. NBA Ratings Still Up Big on TNT: Through Thursday, coverage of the 2011-12* NBA regular season has averaged a 1.9 U.S. rating and 2.930 million viewers on TNT, up 27% in ratings and 26% in viewership from last season (1.5, 2.325M, 32 telecasts), and up 58% and 65%, respectively, from the 2009-10 [...]
The second edition of the UFC on FOX was down double-digits from the inaugural telecast in November, with some caveats. FOX earned a 2.6 final rating and 4.7 million viewers for UFC coverage Saturday night, down 16% in ratings and 17% in viewership from the network’s first UFC telecast in November (3.1, 5.675M). Keep in mind Saturday’s telecast lasted over two hours and included three different bouts. By comparison, the November telecast was just one hour long and featured only [...]
For the first time in three years, ratings and viewership declined for the NFL Pro Bowl. Sunday’s NFL Pro Bowl earned a 7.3 final rating and 12.498 million viewers on NBC, down 5% in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year (7.7, 13.406M, FOX), but up 3% and 2%, respectively, from 2010 (7.1, 12.297M, ESPN). This marks the first time since 2009 — the last time NBC aired the game — that ratings and viewership have declined for the [...]
Recent sports TV ratings news, including steady numbers for the NHL All-Star Game, a ratings record for the Bulls on CSN Chicago, and overnights for the Australian Open finals. Overnight Ratings Hold Steady For NHL All-Star Game: Despite the absence of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, overnight ratings held steady for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. NBC Sports Network earned a 1.0 overnight rating Sunday’s All-Star Game, even with last year and up 22% from 2009. (NBC Sports) Bulls Earn [...]
Though down double-digits from last year’s Celtics/Lakers game, ABC earned strong numbers for Sunday’s clash between the Heat and the Bulls. Sunday’s Bulls/Heat NBA regular season game earned a 4.1 overnight rating on ABC, down 18% from last year’s comparable game (BOS/LAL: 5.0), and down 7% from the comparable game in 2010 (LAL/BOS: 4.4). Last season’s Bulls/Heat game on ABC, which aired at 1 PM ET on March 6, earned a 3.6 overnight rating. Excluding Christmas Day games, the 4.1 [...]
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