First, the results of last week’s predictions.
Source: Sports Business Daily
| Sport | Game/Event | Net |
Prediction
|
Final rating
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golf | British Open, Final Round | ABC |
3.5
|
3.8
|
| The final round of the British Open drew a 3.8 rating and 5.5 million viewers on ABC last Sunday, up 15% and 20%, respectively, from a 3.3 and 4.6 million last year. The 3.8 rating is the best for the final round of the British Open since ’06, when Tiger Woods last won the event. | ||||
| Other | ESPY Awards | ESPN |
1.8
|
1.5
|
| The 2009 ESPY Awards drew a 1.5 U.S. rating (1.7 cable) and 2.3 million viewers on ESPN last Sunday night. | ||||
| MLB | Mets/Braves or other regional aciton | FOX |
1.9
|
1.6
|
| The second half of the 2009 baseball season got off to a tough start on FOX. The 1.6 rating for last Saturday’s regional MLB action marks a 27% drop from a 2.6 for coverage on the comparable date in ’08. | ||||
This week’s predictions:
| Sport | Game/Event | Date/Time | Net |
Prediction
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR | Allstate 400 at the Brickyard | 2 PM Sunday | ESPN |
3.8
|
| After drawing lower ratings on FOX and TNT, NASCAR heads over to ESPN. In the past two years, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard has been the highest rated, most viewed NASCAR race of the season on cable. Expect the same to hold true this year, though the numbers should fall short of last year’s 4.3. | ||||
| WNBA | WNBA All-Star Game | 3:30 PM Saturday | ABC |
0.6
|
| Do not expect big numbers for the last WNBA game on broadcast until 2010. The most recent WNBA All-Star Game (2007) drew a 0.7 rating on ABC. | ||||
| MLB | Cardinals/Phillies or other regional action | 4 PM Saturday | FOX |
1.7
|
| Ratings for baseball on FOX have been less than impressive this season. In 9 of the past 12 weeks, FOX has failed to draw a 2.0 for regional MLB coverage. Look for another sub-2.0 rating this week. | ||||
| Golf | Senior British Open, final round | 1 PM Sunday | ABC |
1.2
|
| Will Tom Watson‘s run at the British Open last week help fuel the Senior British Open to bigger ratings? Last year, the final round of the Senior British Open drew a 0.9; final round coverage in ’07 drew a 1.1. | ||||
| Swimming | World Championships | 12 PM Sunday | NBC |
0.9
|
| Michael Phelps is set to return to NBC nearly a year after leading the network to huge ratings during the ’08 Olympics. Look for an infinitely smaller audience for the World Championships in Rome. | ||||
| Cycling | Tour de France | 2 PM Sunday | CBS |
1.1
|
| The 2009 Tour de France concludes on Sunday. Will the event’s success on Versus translate to CBS? Coverage on the comparable date last year drew a 0.7. In ’05, the last year Lance Armstrong won the event, coverage of the final day drew a 2.0. | ||||
