Airing head-to-head on primetime network television, the UFC dominated the PBC Saturday night.
UFC on FOX 19 had a 1.4 final rating and 2.5 million viewers Saturday night, down 7% in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year’s April edition (1.5, 2.7M) and down 13% and 2%, respectively, from April 2014 (1.6, 2.5M). Compared to the previous UFC on FOX telecast in January, ratings dropped 13% and viewership 7% from a 1.6 and 2.7 million.
The 1.4 rating is tied as the lowest ever for mixed martial arts on primetime network television (24 telecasts dating back to 2008). That includes EliteXC and StrikeForce bouts on CBS. Viewership tied the fourth-lowest mark.
A major reason for the all-time low was competition from the Premier Boxing Champions, which also suffered from the head-to-head matchup. Coverage of the PBC on NBC had a 0.9 final rating and 1.3 million viewers, the lowest figures ever for primetime PBC on network TV (seven telecasts). The previous lows were a 1.1 and 1.8 million in December.
While both the UFC and PBC clearly cannibalized each other, the former came out well ahead. Not only did the UFC top its boxing competition by 56% in ratings and 97% in viewership, it won adults 18-49 by 233% (1.0 to 0.3) and adults 18-34 by 250% (0.7 to 0.2).
Combined, the telecasts attracted more viewers than ESPN’s competing NBA playoff games — 3.7 million, compared to 3.0 million for Mavericks/Thunder and 2.9 million for Celtics/Hawks.
(Sat. numbers via Programming Insider)
