The deciding game of the WNBA Finals had a decline on ESPN2. In other news, the Premier Boxing Champions series hit an ESPN low, and the NHL on NBCSN scored a pair of increases this week.
WNBA Finale Down From Last Winner-Take-All Game
- Game 5 of the Fever/Lynx WNBA Finals drew 583,000 viewers on ESPN2 Wednesday night, down 11% from Fever/Mercury in 2009, the last time the championship went to the decisive game (656K). The Lynx’ win, the most-watched game of the series, aired directly opposite Game 5 of the Astros/Royals MLB playoff series on Fox Sports 1 (5.9M). According to KSTP-ABC reporter Darren Wolfson, the game scored a 6.1 rating in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
PBC Drops on ESPN, NBCSN, Up on FS1
- Coverage of the Premier Boxing Champions series on ESPN earned 428,000 viewers Wednesday night, down 64% from the network’s previous telecast in August, which aired on a Saturday night (1.2M). The telecast, which trailed both the MLB and WNBA head-to-head, ranks as the least-watched PBC event on ESPN (four telecasts). In other PBC action, coverage on FS1 drew 192,000 Tuesday night — up 26% from its previous telecast the week before (153K). NBCSN scored 250,000 on Saturday night, down 31% from its previous telecast back in August (362K).
NBCSN Scores Pair of Increases For NHL
- Wednesday’s Blackhawks/Flyers NHL regular season game drew 605,000 viewers on NBCSN, up 2% from Bruins/Red Wings last year (592K) and up 16% from Blackhawks/Blues in 2013 (523K). The previous night, Lightning/Red Wings drew 388,000 viewers — up 168% from Sabres/Hurricanes last year (145K) and up 20% from Lightning/Sabres in 2013 (323K).
(Numbers via ShowBuzz Daily, Sports TV Ratings [1], [2]; Twitter via bizjournals.com)
