The debut of Mixed Martial Arts on network television drew solid numbers on Saturday night.
Elite XC Saturday Night Fights drew a 2.7/5 overnight with 4.3 million viewers on CBS from 9:00-11:00 PM Saturday night. From 11:30-11:45 PM, during the Kimbo Slice/James Thompson bout, CBS averaged a 4.7 overnight.
Among adults 18-49, CBS drew a 1.9 rating, “a 36% improvement over what the network averaged” on Saturday nights during the television season. The 1.9 helped Saturday Night Fights “handily beat the NHL playoffs” in the demo. In the 18-34 demographic, CBS averaged a 2.6 rating — “more than triple the [television] season average of 0.7.”
Saturday Night Fights finished ahead of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals on NBC. Red Wings/Penguins averaged a 2.6 overnight, up 13% from last year’s Game 4, which aired on a Monday.
Neither MMA nor the NHL finished as the most watched program of the night. That distinction went to America’s Most Wanted, which drew 5.4 million viewers on FOX.
Wrestling Observer article found via The Fanhouse.
