The Los Angeles Kings have had a huge jump in local TV ratings so far this season, but the numbers are still quite low. In other news, overnights have increased slightly for the NCAA Tournament, and ESPN nearly hit a season-low for Nets/Mavs last week.
Kings Ratings Up Big, Still Small
- The defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings have averaged a 0.63 rating on Fox Sports West this season, up 110% from the comparable number of games last season, but still one of the lowest averages in the league. For some perspective, the Lakers and Clippers averaged a 4.3 and 1.5, respectively, through the NBA All-Star break. (Sports Business Journal)
Slight Bump For NCAA Tournament
- CBS and Turner Sports have averaged a combined 6.3 overnight rating for NCAA Tournament coverage, up 5% from last year (6.0), and up a tick from 2011 (6.2). The 6.3 overnight is the highest for the NCAA Tournament through the first Sunday since 1990. (CBS/Turner Sports)
Near Season-Low For Nets/Mavs
- Last Wednesday’s Nets/Mavericks NBA regular season game averaged a mere 982,000 viewers on ESPN, down 49% from Knicks/Sixers in an earlier window last year (1.9M), and down 66% from Thunder/Heat in 2011 (2.9M). The game earned the second-smallest audience of the season for any NBA game on ESPN/ABC or TNT. Only Pacers/Grizzlies on Martin Luther King Day, which aired directly opposite coverage of President Obama’s inauguration, earned a smaller audience (781K). (Wed. numbers from The Futon Critic)
