NBC scored increases for afternoon and late night coverage of the Olympics Sunday. In other news, bad match-ups resulted in big declines for the NBA on ABC, and the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am had a second-straight double-digit drop.
Sunday’s Afternoon, Late Night, Olympic Coverage Up
- Afternoon coverage of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics earned 15.4 million viewers on NBC Sunday afternoon, up 14% from Vancouver in 2010 and up 23% from Turin in 2006. Meanwhile, late night action drew 8.0 million viewers — up 3% from Vancouver, and up 77% from Turin. Final numbers were not available for Saturday’s telecasts, but the afternoon coverage drew an 8.6 overnight (compared to a 10.0 on Sunday) and the late night window scored a 5.9 (compared to a 5.5 on Sunday). (NBC Sports Group Press Box, Sports Business Daily)
Bulls/Lakers Down 52% on ABC
- Sunday’s Bulls/Lakers NBA regular season game drew a 2.4 overnight rating on ABC, down 52% from Lakers/Heat last year (5.0), and down 23% from Bulls/Celtics in 2012 (3.1). Earlier in the day, Knicks/Thunder also earned a 2.4 — down 17% from Clippers/Knicks last year (2.9). Despite the big declines, the games earned the top non-Olympic overnights of the weekend. (Sports Business Daily)
Pebble Beach Pro-Am Down Big For Second Straight Year
- Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Pebble Beach Pro-Am drew a 2.1 overnight rating on CBS Sunday afternoon, down 28% from last year (2.9), and down 59% from 2012, when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were in the final pairing (5.1). The 2.1 overnight is the lowest for the final round since 2010 (1.7), the last time the Winter Olympics took place. Saturday’s third round action scored a 1.1 overnight, down 39% from last year (1.8), and down 61% from 2012 (2.8).
