- The season debut of Saturday Night Football on ABC finished with a 3.6/7 final rating and 5.6 million viewers, up 9% and 14% from a 3.3 with 4.9 million last year. The game drew a 10.1/19 in Atlanta, host to the Clemson/Alabama game, by far the best rating among the top 20 markets. Detroit finished second, with a 7.5/16.
- NASCAR wrapped up its run on cable last Sunday with a double-digit drop in ratings. The Pepsi 500 drew a 3.3 rating and 5.6 million viewers on ESPN Sunday, down 11% in ratings and 12% in total viewers from a 3.7 with 6.4 million for the Sharp Aquos 500 last year. ESPN averaged a 3.5 rating and 5.6 million viewers for six NASCAR races this year, down 5% and 7% from a 3.7 with 6.0 million for five races last year.
- Two of the best teams in baseball drew solid ratings on Tuesday night. In Tampa/St. Petersburg, the Rays tilt against the Yankees drew a 6.0/9 on ION, making it the night’s third highest rated program on broadcast in the market. In Orlando, the game drew a 1.1. Meanwhile, Astros/Cubs drew a 9.6/17 on The CW in Chicago, far and away Chicago’s highest rated show on broadcast.
Ted Turner, whose cable business transformed TV sports, dies
Ted Turner, the media mogul and team owner whose TBS "SuperStation" helped pave the way the era of cable...
