While the Sprint Cup has struggled out of the gate, ratings and viewership have risen for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers have earned strong numbers to start the 2012 season, and Saturday’s MLS match on NBC Sports Network was beaten head-to-head by a La Liga match on ESPN.
- NASCAR Nationwide Series Up on ESPN: Coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series has averaged a 1.7 U.S. rating and 2.641 million viewers on the ESPN family of networks, up a tick in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year (1.6, 2.499M). Viewership has increased for four of six races this year, including Friday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 from Texas (1.656M, up 13%). (ESPN)
- Rangers Ratings Red-Hot to Start the Season: Through eight games, Texas Rangers telecasts have averaged a 7.2 rating on Fox Sports Southwest, up 56% from the comparable point last year. Despite a lopsided score, Tuesday’s Rangers/Red Sox game drew a 7.4 rating, the sixth-highest ever for the Rangers on FS Southwest. (Dallas Morning News)
- MLS on NBCSN topped by La Liga on ESPN: Saturday’s Union/Crew Major League Soccer regular season match drew 139,000 viewers on NBC Sports Network. The match was outdrawn head-to-head by a Barcelona/Levante La Liga match on ESPN (296K) and ESPN Deportes (489K). Keep in mind NBC Sports Network is available in just over 79 million homes, compared to approximately 100 million homes for ESPN. (philly.com)
