A direct lead-in from the Olympic Games resulted in a record audience for Premier Boxing Champions.
The latest edition of the PBC on NBC earned 4.8 million viewers late Sunday afternoon, the largest audience ever for the boxing series, regardless of network or timeslot (dates back to 2015). The previous high was 3.4 million for the inaugural card in March 2015, which aired in primetime on NBC.
Beyond the PBC record, Sunday’s telecast also ranks as the most-watched boxing event on a broadcast network since Oscar de la Hoya Fight Night on FOX in 1998, which had 5.9 million viewers. Including mixed martial arts, it was the most-watched fight telecast since the inaugural edition of the UFC on FOX in November 2011 (5.7M).
The telecast aired directly after the United States/Serbia Olympic men’s basketball final, which had 11.7 million viewers. Other than the Olympics, it was easily the most-watched sports program of the weekend — with the caveat that no other event had as cushy a lead-in.
(Sun. numbers from NBC Sports)
