- Opposite stiff competition from the NFL, NASCAR crumbled in the ratings on Sunday. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 drew a 2.5 rating with 4 million viewers on ESPN Sunday, the lowest rating for a NASCAR race this season. The 2.5 rating marks a 40% decline from a 4.2 for last year’s race, which aired on a Saturday night on ABC. NASCAR finished 40th in ratings and 35th in viewers for the week on cable.
- With NASCAR and the U.S. Open taken off the Saturday schedule thanks to Tropical Storm Hanna, ESPN’s Florida/Miami game had the sports viewing audience to itself. The battle of Florida rivals drew an impressive 4.3 national rating with 7 million viewers on Saturday night, making it the highest rated college football game of the season so far. The second highest rated game also aired on ESPN, as the network drew a 4.1 with 6.2 million for Tennessee/UCLA on Labor Day.
- Serena Williams helped boost the ratings for the U.S. Open, but her ninth Grand Slam victory was no match for Brian Urlacher and Peyton Manning. The U.S. Open women’s final drew a 3.3/6 final rating on CBS Sunday night, up 57% from a 2.1 for Henin/Kuznetsova last year. The 3.3 marks the best rating for the women’s final at the U.S. Open since 2002, the last time an American played in the event. Meanwhile, Sunday night’s Colts/Bears match-up drew an 11.2/18 on NBC, down 3% from an 11.6 for Giants/Cowboys last year, but the highest rated prime time program of the week.
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