Saddled with lengthy rain delays for a second straight year, overnight ratings declined for NASCAR at Bristol. In other news, overnights increased slightly for the Chelsea/Manchester United Premier League match, while coverage of the FA Cup on FOX could not match last year.
NASCAR’s Second Straight Bristol Rainout Down From Last Year
- Rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Bristol earned a 1.4 overnight rating on Fox Sports 1 Sunday evening, down 22% from rain-delayed coverage of the same race last year (1.8). This year’s coverage aired from 6:30-10:30 PM ET, while last year’s aired from 7-9:45 PM. The race was originally scheduled to air on FOX, which earned a 2.9 overnight for less than 15 minutes of live racing — down 29% from a 4.1 for 45 minutes of racing last year.
Slight Uptick For Chelsea/ManU on NBC
- Saturday’s Chelsea/Manchester United English Premier League match drew a 0.8 overnight rating on NBC, up a tick from Sunderland/Chelsea last year (0.7). The 0.8 overnight is tied as the third-highest of the season for the EPL on NBC, matching four other telecasts — including the teams’ previous meeting in October.
FA Cup Overnights Lower on FOX
- Airing directly opposite the EPL on NBC, the Reading/Arsenal FA Cup semifinal drew a 0.5 overnight on FOX Saturday afternoon. Both of last year’s semifinals aired on cable. The 0.5 overnight marks a 29% decline from the network’s two FA Cup matches last year — Arsenal/Tottenham in the third round and the Arsenal/Hull final, both of which drew a 0.7.
(Wknd. overnights from Sports Business Daily)
