Once again, Major League Baseball topped the NHL playoffs in several local markets. In other news, IndyCar had a steep decline for its Toronto race, and Copa America scored Monday’s top non-NHL sports audience.
Local MLB Tops NHL Clincher in Several Markets
- Major League Baseball games outdrew Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final in 15 television markets Monday night, including hockey markets St. Louis (Cardinals 10.8, NHL 5.8), Detroit (Tigers 9.2, NHL 4.5) and Pittsburgh (Pirates 7.8, NHL 5.1). In Seattle, often positioned as a potential NHL destination, the Mariners routed the NHL by 276% (6.4 to 1.7). The only bigger gap between baseball and hockey was in Kansas City, where the Royals won the ratings battle by 388% (11.7 to 2.4). (Nielsen)
IndyCar From Toronto Down Big
- IndyCar Series racing from Toronto drew 196,000 viewers on NBCSN Sunday afternoon, down 60% from race 2 of a doubleheader last year (484K) and down 24% from 2013 (258K). The telecast, which was dwarfed head-to-head by NASCAR on FS1 (3.5M), ranks as the least-watched IndyCar race on any network since Houston in October 2013 (161K). (via Sports TV Ratings)
Chile/Mexico Copa America Match Monday’s Top Non-NHL Draw
- Monday’s Chile/Mexico Copa America match drew a combined 1.5 million viewers on beIN Sports (422K) and beIN Sports en Espanol (1.1M), according to Nielsen fast-nationals — the day’s top sporting event outside of the Stanley Cup Final. Head-to-head, the match topped the Women’s World Cup on Fox Sports 1 and NBC Universo (690K) and Monday Night Baseball on ESPN (608K). (beIN via PR Newswire; Sports TV Ratings)
