ESPN had a big increase in viewership for Red Sox/Yankees on Sunday night. In other news, TNT ended its NBA regular season with a pair of declines, and the Minnesota Wild had their second-highest rated season ever on Fox Sports North.
Big Jump For Sox/Yankees on Sunday Night
- The Red Sox/Yankees Sunday Night Baseball game drew 2.3 million viewers on ESPN over the weekend, up 46% from Giants/Dodgers last year (1.6M) and up 29% from Angels/Rangers in 2013 (1.8M), both of which aired on ESPN2. Compared to the rivals’ first Sunday night game last year, which took place a week later in the season, viewership declined 17% from 2.8 million. The following night, Yankees/Orioles drew 899,000 on Monday Night Baseball — down 5% from Rangers/Red Sox last year (948K) and up 40% from Mets/Philles in 2013 (643K). (via ShowBuzz Daily [1], [2])
TNT Ends NBA Season With More Declines
- Tuesday’s Wizards/Pacers NBA regular season game drew 1.3 million viewers on TNT, down 7% from Knicks/Nets last year (1.4M) but up 66% from Raptors/Hawks in 2013 (774K). The Clippers/Suns nightcap earned 1.1 million, down 5% from Nuggets/Clippers last year (1.1M) and up 24% from Blazers/Clippers in 2013 (872K). Entering the final night of the regular season, 77 of the 105 non-Cavaliers games that can be compared to last year have had declines. (via TV By the Numbers)
Near-Record Season For Minnesota Wild
- Fox Sports North averaged a 4.2 rating for Minnesota Wild games during the NHL regular season, up 41% from last year and the network’s second-highest average ever. Only the lockout shortened 2012-13 season averaged a higher rating (4.3). 19 of the 71 Wild telecasts on FS North earned at least a 5.0 rating. (via foxsports.com)
