The Premier Boxing Champions series was less of a draw in its return to primetime network TV.
Saturday’s primetime edition of the PBC on NBC, featuring the Deontay Wilder/Johann Duhaupas heavyweight fight, earned a 1.4 final rating and 2.2 million viewers — down a tick in ratings and 6% in viewership from the previous primetime window in June (1.5, 2.3M) and down 22% and 24%, respectively, from primetime action in April (1.8, 2.9M).
The card, which also included Dominic Breazeale against Fred Kassi, scored the smallest audience for primetime fighting on over-the-air TV since before 2008 (25 telecasts). It had fewer viewers than all sixteen editions of the UFC on FOX and the five combined EliteXC and Strikeforce windows on CBS.
Since debuting with a 2.1 and 3.4 million in March, ratings and viewership have declined for each subsequent primetime PBC card on NBC.
Keep in mind that football was a factor Saturday night. The PBC on NBC trailed competing college football games on ESPN (1.9, 3.1M), FOX (1.8, 3.0M) and ABC (1.6, 2.4M) and barely edged coverage on ESPN2 (1.4 to 1.2, 2.18M to 2.16M).
Among adults 18-49, Saturday’s telecast drew a 0.6 rating — down a tick from June (0.7) and down a quarter from April (0.8).
Ratings/Viewership For Primetime PBC on NBC
| Date | Featured Bout | Rtg. | Vwrs. | A18- 49 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., 3/7 | Thurman-Guerrero | 2.1 | 3.37M | 1.1 |
| Sat., 4/11 | Garcia-Peterson | 1.8 | 2.88M | 0.8 |
| Sat., 6/20 | Broner-Porter | 1.5 | 2.33M | 0.7 |
| Sat., 9/26 | Wilder-Duhaupas | 1.4 | 2.18M | 0.6 |
(Sat. numbers via TV Media Insights)
