First, the results of last week’s predictions:
- NBA on ABC, Nuggets at Kings. Prediction: 0.9. Final rating: 1.3. The second lowest rating for an NBA game ever on ABC, tied with regional coverage in March of ’05. Despite indications that the game would set an all new record low, Iverson and ‘Melo managed to attract enough eyeballs to keep the game from television infamy.
- NASCAR on FOX, UAW-DaimerChrysler 400. Prediction: 5.9. Final rating: 6.3. Slightly up from last year; considering the overall trend, any increase is a good thing for NASCAR.
- NHL on NBC, Regional coverage. Prediction: 1.0. Final rating: 0.7. The NHL keeps on finding a new answer to the question “how low can you go?”
- NASCAR on ESPN2, Busch Series from Mexico City (March 4). Prediction: 1.7. Final rating: 1.9. A decent rating on The Deuce for the ESPN Full Circle event of two weeks ago, though ESPN’s Spanish language simulcast drew a pitiful 0.2. NASCAR races on ESPN2 have given the network its top three rated broadcasts of the year.
NBA on ESPN and ACC Championship Game ratings not currently available.
This week’s predictions:
- NBA on ABC: Mavericks at Pistons, 3:30 PM, Sunday — ABC has only drawn a 2.0 or higher rating once when going head-to-head against March Madness (a Lakers/Spurs game in 2003). Since then, the highest rated game drew a 1.7 (Mavs/Wolves in ’03 and Lakers/Cavs last year). The Mavericks and Pistons may be the top teams in each conference, but that doesn’t necessarily draw eyeballs; in ’05, when the Spurs and Pistons met in a ‘NBA Finals preview’, the game drew a 1.3. Prediction: 1.5.
- NASCAR on FOX: Kobalt Tools 500, 1:30 PM, Sunday — Last year’s race was rained out and still drew a 3.7, besting the competing NBA and golf events on ABC and NBC, respectively. The race drew a 5.5 in 2005, and 5.7 in 2004. Prediction: 5.6.
- NCAA Tournament on CBS, 12:00, 2:30 and 5:00 PM, Sunday — Last year’s games drew ratings of 4.4, 7.0 and 7.7 on the comparable Sunday last year. Look for the ratings for the first game to increase (last year’s game was the relatively unappealing Bradley/Pittsburgh), and the ratings for the other two games to be either flat or slightly down from last year. Prediction: 5.4, 6.9 and 8.0.
