Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
Source: Sports Business Daily
Basketball
| Sport | Game/Event | Date | Time | Net | Rating |
| College basketball | mainly Louisville/Siena | Sun., 3/22/09 | 5:00 PM | CBS | 8.1/16 |
| College basketball | mainly North Carolina/LSU | Sat., 3/21/09 | 5:45 PM | CBS | 7.5/16 |
| College basketball | mainly Duke/Texas | Sat., 3/21/09 | 8:45 PM | CBS | 6.6/12 |
| College basketball | mainly Pittsburgh/Oklahoma St. | Sun., 3/22/09 | 2:15 PM | CBS | 6.5/15 |
| College basketball | mainly Memphis/Maryland | Sat., 3/21/09 | 3:30 PM | CBS | 5.7/14 |
| College basketball | Villanova/UCLA | Sat., 3/21/09 | 1:00 PM | CBS | 4.7/12 |
| College basketball | Syracuse/Arizona St. | Sun., 3/22/09 | 12:00 PM | CBS | 4.2/11 |
| College basketball | Road to the Final Four | Sat., 3/21/09 | 12:00 PM | CBS | 1.8/5 |
| NBA | Heat/Pistons | Sun., 3/22/09 | 1:00 PM | ABC | 1.4/3 |
| NBA | NBA Countdown | Sun., 3/22/09 | 12:30 PM | ABC | 1.0/2 |
- The seven college basketball telecasts on CBS Saturday and Sunday drew the seven highest overnights of the weekend for any sporting event on broadcast. The top overnight was an 8.1/16 for regional coverage in the late Sunday afternoon window, up 14% from last year.
- Opposite NCAA Tournament coverage, NBA ratings cratered. The 1.4/3 overnight for Heat/Pistons marks a 22% decline from a 1.8 for last year’s comparable Spurs/Mavericks game, and is the second-lowest overnight for an NBA game on broadcast.
Auto racing
| Sport | Game/Event | Date | Time | Net | Rating |
| NASCAR | Food City 500 | Sun., 3/22/09 | 2:15 PM | FOX | 4.1/9 |
| NASCAR | Nationwide Series, Scotts Turf Builder 300 | Sat., 3/21/09 | 2:30 PM | ABC | 1.5/4 |
| NASCAR | NASCAR Countdown | Sat., 3/21/09 | 2:00 PM | ABC | 0.8/2 |
- NASCAR continues to see declining ratings on FOX. The 4.1 overnight for the Food City 500 is off 18% from a 5.0 for the same race last year, when it did not compete with NCAA Tournament coverage. The 4.1 overnight is the lowest for the Food City 500 since the race moved to FOX in 2001.
- On a weekend when the network aired an NBA game, ABC’s highest rated sporting event was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race. The 1.5 for the Scotts Turf Builder 300 edged the 1.4 for Heat/Pistons, which aired the following day.
Golf
| Sport | Game/Event | Date | Time | Net | Rating |
| PGA Tour | Transitions Championship, Final Round | Sun., 3/22/09 | 3:00 PM | NBC | 1.9/4 |
| PGA Tour | Transitions Championship, Third Round | Sat., 3/21/09 | 3:00 PM | NBC | 1.2/3 |
- The 1.9 overnight for final round coverage of the Transitions Championship on Sunday was flat from last year, but third round coverage on Saturday was down 29%.
Other
| Sport | Game/Event | Date | Time | Net | Rating |
| NHL | Flyers/Penguins | Sun., 3/22/09 | 12:30 PM | NBC | 1.0/2 |
| Extreme sports | U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix (taped) | Sat., 3/21/09 | 2:00 PM | NBC | 0.4/1 |
- NHL ratings are remarkably consistent; unfortunately for NBC, the numbers are remarkably unimpressive as well. The 1.0 overnight for Flyers/Penguins is even with last year’s comparable Penguins/Capitals game.
