- The NL Central showdown between the Brewers and Cubs produced record ratings. Comcast SportsNet Chicago drew an 8.3 rating for the Cubs’ victory Monday night, the highest Cubs rating ever on the network, and the highest rating for a Cubs telecast since 2004. The same game drew a 16.2 rating in Milwaukee on FSN, also a record.
- Through July 20, viewership for IRL telecasts is up 18% from last year across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The most viewed non-Indy 500 race was the Honda Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio, which drew 1.8 million viewers in the post-British Open spot on ABC. The largest audience for a race on cable came for the Bombardier Learjet 550, which drew 1.1 million viewers on ESPN2 June 7.
- The ArenaBowl saw its best numbers in three years. ABC drew a 0.9 final rating with 1.3 million viewers for the Philadelphia Soul’s victory over the San Jose Sabercats Sunday, up 27% and 37% from a 0.7 with 940,000 viewers last year. The 0.9 rating is the highest for the event since NBC drew a 1.0 in 2005. In Philadelphia, the game drew a 5.3/11 rating, the highest local ratings ever for a Soul telecast.
ESPN acquires expanded Players Era tournament
What is quickly becoming one of the highest-profile early season college basketball events is now moving to ESPN.
