- Opposite the Olympics, ESPN drew the lowest national rating for a NASCAR race this year. The Centurion Boats at the Glen drew a 3.0 rating with 4.8 million viewers on Sunday, down 14% and 13% from a 3.5 with 5.6 million for the same race in ’07. Through three races, ESPN is averaging a 3.7 rating with 5.9 million viewers for NASCAR telecasts, down 3% and 2% from a 3.8 with 6.0 million for the network’s first three races last year.
- NASCAR on cable beat the final round of the PGA Championship on broadcast head-to-head Sunday. Sans Tiger Woods, the season’s final major drew an awful 2.8/6 final rating with 4.0 million viewers on CBS, down 55% and 57% from a 6.2 with 9.2 million for Woods’ victory last year. The 2.8 final rating is the lowest since at least 1982, and is likely the lowest ever for the final round of the PGA Championship. The final rounds of the two majors since Tiger Woods‘ season ended have averaged a 3.1 rating.
- Even in some football mad markets, the Olympics have been a bigger deal than preseason NFL action. In Dallas on Saturday night, coverage of the Olympics outdrew the Cowboys’ preseason game against the Chargers 14.1 to 12.8. In the “two hours the Olympics and Cowboys butted heads“, the Olympics won 15.2 to 13.8. Meanwhile, in Buffalo, Saturday night coverage beat the Bills’ preseason opener 16.2 to 14.7. In Wisconsin, the first game in the Aaron Rodgers era did beat the Olympics head-to-head Monday night; Packers/Bengals averaged 167,864 households, edging the Olympics’ 167,597 homes.
