A year out from the Winter Olympics, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships hit a primetime low on NBC.
Primetime coverage of the ladies’ free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships had a 1.8 final rating and 2.8 million viewers on NBC Saturday, down 25% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year (2.4, 3.7M) and down 18% and 16% respectively from 2015 (2.2, 3.3M).
The 1.8 rating is the lowest for primetime coverage of the event in at least 20 years, falling below the previous mark of 2.2 in 2015 and 2013.
Keep in mind the U.S. Figure Skating Championships was once a dominant television event, with primetime coverage earning a 7.7 rating in 2000 and a whopping 13.0 back in the Olympic year of 1998.
The telecast was topped head-to-head by ABC’s Spurs/Cavaliers NBA game (2.2, 3.6M), but topped every other non-NFL sporting event last weekend.
In other action, coverage of pairs figure skating had a 1.1 and 1.6 million Saturday afternoon — down 21% in ratings and 26% in viewership from last year (1.4, 2.2M) but flat in both measures compared to 2015. Coverage of the men’s free skate had a 1.0 (+11%) and 1.4 million (+8%) on Sunday afternoon.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 1/24)