Overnight (metered market) ratings by sport.
Basketball.
4.4: National Championship Selection Show on CBS (6 PM Sunday)
2.9: NBA on ABC, Lakers/Rockets (3:30 PM Sunday)
2.4: College basketball on CBS, Pac 10 Championship, UCLA/Stanford (6 PM Sat.)
1.8: NBA on ABC, Hornets/Pistons (1 PM Sunday)
1.6: College basketball on CBS, Big Ten Semis, Illinois/Minnesota (3:30 PM Sat.)
1.5: College basketball on CBS, Big Ten Championship, Wisc./Illinois (3:30 PM Sun.)
1.5: College basketball on CBS, Big Ten Semis, Wisconsin/Michigan St. (1:30 PM Sat.)
1.4: NBA Countdown on ABC (12:30 PM Sunday)
1.0: College basketball on CBS, CUSA Championship, Memphis/Tulsa (11:30 AM Sat.)
1.0: Road to the Final Four on CBS (12:30 PM Sunday)
- The Pac 10 Championship was the lone game on CBS to see increased ratings this weekend. The game between Stanford and UCLA drew a 2.4 rating, up 20% from last year. Every other college basketball program on the network, including the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, saw declining numbers.
- The 2.9 overnight for Lakers/Rockets on Sunday marked an 81% increase from the Mavericks/Pistons game on the comparable date last year. ABC drew less impressive numbers for Hornets/Pistons; the game drew a 1.8 overnight, due in large part to several markets preempting the game for local programming.
Golf.
4.2/9: PGA Tour on NBC, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Final Round (2:30 PM Sunday)
2.3/6: PGA Tour on NBC, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Third Round (2:30 PM Saturday)
- From the no-surprise department, Tiger Woods is good for ratings. Ratings for the Arnold Palmer Invitational were up 21% on Saturday, and a whopping 68% on Sunday.
Other.
5.0/11: NASCAR on FOX, Food City 500 (2 PM Sunday)
1.1/3: NHL on NBC, Flyers/Penguins (12 PM Sunday)
- The 1.1 overnight for the Penguins blowout of the Flyers is tied as the highest overnight of the season for the NHL on NBC. Whether or not that translates into the first final national rating above 0.8 since the Winter Classic remains to be seen.
- Once again, NASCAR ratings increased over the weekend. The 5.0 rating for the Food City 500 marks a 2% increase over the 4.9 for the same race last year, when it aired opposite the NCAA Tournament Regional Finals.
