Fox Sports 1 scored the largest mixed martial arts audience on cable in more than five years. In other news, ESPN scored strong numbers for Duke/Louisville and the Cavaliers have continued to boost the NBA’s national viewership.
FS1 Generates Top MMA Audience on Cable Since 2009
- The latest edition of the UFC on Fox Sports 1 earned 2.8 million viewers Sunday night, marking the most-watched mixed martial arts event on cable since 2009. Viewership peaked at 3.2 million from Midnight ET to 12:15 AM. The telecast boosted Fox Sports Live to 1.2 million viewers, its largest Sunday audience. (Fox Sports)
Duke, Kentucky, Boost ESPN Saturday
- ESPN drew 2.2 million viewers for Saturday’s Duke/Louisville college basketball game, up 108% from Boston College/North Carolina last year (1.0M) and up 47% from Maryland/North Carolina in 2013 (1.5M). The Blue Devils’ win ranks as the fifth-most watched game of the season on ESPN/ESPN2, with each of the top five having involved Duke or Kentucky. In other afternoon action, Kentucky/Alabama drew 2.0 million (+10%) and Ohio State/Iowa drew 1.7 million (+107%). (ShowBuzz Daily)
Cavaliers Still Boosting National NBA Ratings
- Monday’s Bulls/Cavaliers NBA regular season game drew 1.8 million viewers on TNT, up 35% from Blazers/Rockets last year (1.3M) and up 34% from Spurs/Sixers in 2013 (1.3M). Lakers/Suns later in the night had 1.2 million (-23%) and the Pistons/Hawks matinee on ESPN had a season-low 830,000 (-16%). Shifting to last Friday, ESPN drew 2.0 million for Cavaliers/Clippers and 1.7 million for Warriors/Thunder — up 13% and 52%, respectively, from last year’s comparable games. (via ShowBuzz Daily [1], [2])
