ESPN ended its MLB regular season coverage with a solid outing Friday night. In other news, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series from Dover declined dramatically, and the NBA’s first preseason game had a gain over last year.
Angels/Rangers Solid on ESPN Friday
- Friday’s Angels/Rangers Major League Baseball game, ESPN’s regular season finale, drew 947,000 viewers — ranking 11th for the season among weeknight games and seventh with Yankees games excluded. For the season, 59 of ESPN’s 91 telecasts had less than 1.0 million viewers. Sunday’s matchup between the teams drew 432,000 on TBS. (via ShowBuzz Daily [1], [2])
Big Drop For Xfinity From Dover
- NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Dover drew 1.1 million viewers on NBCSN Saturday afternoon, down 43% from last year (1.9M) and down 36% from 2013 (1.6M), both of which aired on ESPN after college football. The race ranks as the sixth-least watched of the season, with each of the bottom six having aired on NBCSN. (via ShowBuzz Daily)
NBA Preseason Opener Up on NBA TV
- The Nuggets/Clippers NBA preseason opener earned 129,000 viewers on NBA TV Friday night, up 19% from the first preseason game on national TV last year, the Cavaliers against Maccabi Tel Aviv on a Sunday evening (109K). Last year’s game, it should be noted, was the first appearance for Cavaliers F LeBron James since rejoining the team. (via Sports TV Ratings)
