Viewership for the NHL Draft was the lowest in three years. In other news, overnights for the U.S. Senior Open were on par with last year, and the U.S. Track & Field Championships posted big gains on NBC.
NHL Draft Viewership Lowest in Three Years
- Day one of the 2015 NHL Draft earned 252,000 viewers on NBCSN Friday night, down 25% from last year’s record audience (337K), down 15% from 2013 (295K), and the smallest audience for the event since 2012 (207K). The double-digit drop came despite NBC producing its own coverage for the first time. Compared to other draft telecasts this year, the NHL trailed not only the NFL and NBA, but MLB (306K) and the WNBA (278K) as well. (via ShowBuzz Daily)
U.S. Senior Open Overnights on Par With Last Year
- Final round coverage of the U.S. Senior Open drew a 0.8 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon, even with last year and down 20% from 2013 (1.0), both on NBC. The 0.8 is tied as the second-highest for final round coverage since 2010. Third round action on Saturday drew a 0.6, down a tick from last year and 2013 (0.7 both years). (via Sports Business Daily)
Big Gains For U.S. Track & Field Champ. on NBC
- NBC drew a 1.1 overnight rating for coverage of the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships Sunday afternoon, up 57% from last year (0.7) and up a tick from 2013 (1.0). The 1.1 is tied as the highest for the event since 2011 (1.2), not including the Olympic year in 2012. The previous day, coverage drew a 1.0 overnight — up 43% from last year (0.7) and down a tick from 2013 (1.1). (via Sports Business Daily)
