ESPN scored a big increase in viewership for Thunder/Blazers Friday night. In other news, ESPN also generated strong gains for the Syracuse/Duke college basketball game, and FS1 had a double-digit drop in viewership for its second NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
NBA Friday Doubleheader Mixed on ESPN
- Friday’s Thunder/Blazers NBA regular season game drew 1.7 million viewers on ESPN, up 56% from Pelicans/Suns last year (1.1M) but down 15% from Thunder/Nuggets in 2013 (2.0M). The 56% increase is the season’s largest year-over-year gain for a non-Cavaliers telecast. Heat/Pelicans drew 1.2 million earlier in the night, down 16% from Warriors/Knicks last year (1.4M) and down 43% from Grizzlies/Heat in 2013 (2.0M). Shifting to Sunday’s action, Thunder/Lakers drew 1.2 million — down 25% from Bulls/Pacers in 2013 (1.7M); there was no comparable game last year. (via TV By the Numbers)
Syracuse/Duke Tops ESPN Saturday Slate
- The Syracuse/Duke college basketball game drew 2.3 million viewers on ESPN Saturday evening, up 39% from Kentucky/South Carolina last year (1.6M), but down 34% from Miami/Duke in 2013 (3.4M). Both of those games aired in a slightly earlier timeslot. Earlier in the day, Texas/Kansas drew 1.5 million — down 38% from Syracuse/Virginia last year (2.5M) but up 98% from Texas/Oklahoma State in 2013 (772K). The Arizona/Utah nightcap drew 1.4 million, down 27% from Kansas/Oklahoma State last year (1.9M) and down 3% from Arizona/UCLA in 2013 (1.41M to 1.38M). (via ShowBuzz Daily)
Fewer Viewers For Season’s Second Xfinity Series Race
- NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Atlanta drew 1.5 million viewers on Fox Sports 1 Saturday afternoon, down 26% from the 2013 Phoenix race on ESPN2 (2.1M). Viewership for last year’s race on ABC was not immediately available. Last year’s Atlanta race, which aired on ESPN2 over Labor Day weekend, drew slightly more viewers (1.54M to 1.51M). [UPDATE 3/21: The 1.9 million viewers previously listed for last year’s race was likely the household viewership, rather than the P2+ viewership usually reported here.] (via ShowBuzz Daily)
