Ratings predictions for this weekend’s sporting events, including NBC Sunday Night Football, NASCAR on ABC and regional MLB on FOX.
First, the results of last week’s predictions
| Sport | Game/Event | Net |
Prediction
|
Rating
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golf (M) | PGA Championship, Third Round | TNT |
1.0
|
1.4
|
| CBS |
3.3
|
2.8
|
||
| Ratings for the third round of the PGA Championship increased by 8% on TNT but declined by 35% on CBS. | ||||
| Golf (M) | PGA Championship, Final Round | TNT |
1.2
|
1.6
|
| CBS |
4.7
|
4.3
|
||
| CBS drew a 4.3 final rating for the final round of the PGA Championship last Sunday, down 35% from last year (6.6), but up 54% from 2008 (2.8). The 4.3 is the second-lowest rating for the final round of the PGA Championship on broadcast since ’96. Meanwhile, TNT drew a 1.6 U.S. rating for its final round coverage, even with last year. | ||||
| NASCAR | Carfax 400 | ESPN |
3.3
|
3.1
|
| Last Sunday’s NASCAR Carfax 400 drew a 3.1 U.S. rating on ESPN, down 11% from last year (3.5), down 6% from 2008 (3.3) and the lowest rating for the event since at least 1998. | ||||
| MLB | Cubs/Cardinals (51%), Orioles/Rays (26%) or Padres/Giants (22%) | FOX |
1.7
|
1.7
|
| FOX drew a 1.7 final rating for regional MLB action last Saturday, up 6% from last year’s comparable telecast (1.6) and up 55% from 2008 — when coverage aired opposite the Olympics (1.1). | ||||
| Gym. | Visa Championships | NBC |
1.6
|
1.5
|
| Coverage of the Visa Gymnastics Championships drew a 1.5 final rating on NBC last Saturday night, down 12% from last year (1.7). | ||||
This week’s predictions:
| Sport | Game/Event | Day/Time | Net | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Vikings/49ers | 8 PM Sunday | NBC |
6.0
|
| Expect much of NBC’s Vikings/49ers telecast to focus on returning Vikings QB Brett Favre , who will reportedly start Sunday’s game. Favre’s start, along with his halftime interview with Al Michaels, should keep viewers from tuning out of this one early. NBC’s second preseason game last year (Bears/Broncos) drew a 6.5 rating — the highest rating (at the time) for an NFL preseason game since ’06. | ||||
| NASCAR | Irwin Tools Night Race | 7:30 PM Saturday | ABC |
3.6
|
| For the first time since resuming NASCAR coverage in 2007, ABC will air a race that will not have to compete with regular season NFL or college football. With that in mind — not to mention a move from cable to broadcast — Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race would seem like a sure thing to eclipse last year’s decent-for-cable 3.3 rating on ESPN. The lowest rating for a Saturday night NASCAR race on ABC (since ’07) is a 3.5. | ||||
| MLB | Braves/Cubs, Angels/Twins or Rangers/Orioles | 4 PM Saturday | FOX |
1.9
|
| Even though last year’s telecast featured Yankees/Red Sox, do not expect major declines for this week’s regional MLB slate on FOX. The Braves’ two previous appearances on the main FOX game this season each drew at least a 2.0 rating — and last year’s Yankees/Red Sox matchup did not exactly set the bar high (2.3). | ||||
| Golf (M) | Wyndham Championship, Third Round | 2 PM Saturday | CBS |
0.7
|
| Wyndham Championship, Final Round | 2 PM Sunday |
1.4
|
||
| The Wyndham Championship is not exactly a big draw. Final round coverage of last year’s tournament drew a 1.6 rating, the highest for the tournament since it moved to its current date in ’07. Expect another round of low numbers this year. | ||||
| WNBA | Sparks/Storm | 11 PM Saturday | ESPN2 |
0.1
|
| ESPN2 ends its regular season WNBA coverage with Saturday’s Sparks/Storm battle. With an unfriendly timeslot on the lowest rated night of the week, the numbers figure to be low. | ||||
