ESPN hit a season-low for the Pirates’ return to Sunday Night Baseball. In other news, Inside the NBA had a solid run through two rounds of the playoffs, and IndyCar scored decent numbers for the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Sunday Night Baseball Hits Low
- Last week’s Cardinals/Pirates Sunday Night Baseball game earned a 1.0 U.S. rating and 1.4 million viewers on ESPN, flat in ratings and down 2% in viewership compared to Angels/White Sox last year (1.0, 1.5M), and the least-viewed SNB game of the season. The telecast, which featured a cameo by actor Jon Hamm, was the Pirates’ first Sunday night appearance since 1996. (Sun. numbers from Son of the Bronx)
Inside the NBA Averaging 2M Through First Two Rounds
- TNT averaged a 1.4 U.S. rating and 2.0 million viewers for the Inside the NBA postgame show during the first two rounds of the playoffs. To put that in some perspective, ESPN’s College Gameday averaged 1.8 million during the college football season, though that was without the benefit of a live-game lead-in. Tuesday’s edition, which followed Game 5 of the Clippers/Thunder series, ranks as the top draw so far with 2.9 million viewers.
IndyCar Decent From Indianapolis
- The inaugural IndyCar Grand Prix of Indianapolis drew a 0.9 final rating and 1.3 million viewers on ABC last Saturday, the highest rated and most-viewed race of the young season. The race easily topped ABC’s opener from St. Petersburg, which drew a 0.6 and 866,000 in March. (ESPN)
