2016 Ratings Wrap: Despite Down Years, NFL and Olympics Dominate

NASCAR last week resumed reporting the official Nielsen “Big Data + Panel” ratings and viewership figures for its races, a move that coincides with Nielsen having rolled out a modified version of the methodology at the end of last month. The first race following that decision, Darlington over Labor Day weekend, averaged a 1.0 rating and 1.98 million viewers on USA Network — up 6% and 5% respectively from last year (1.0, 1.9M). Read more

NASCAR Cup Series racing from Daytona averaged a 1.7 rating and 3.12 million viewers on NBC a week ago Saturday, per the “Big Data + Panel” methodology that is the official Nielsen currency, and a 1.8 and 3.51 million under the old “panel-only” metric NASCAR now publicizes for its races. Read more

Last week’s U.S. Open mixed doubles semifinals and final averaged 492,000 viewers, up 43% from last year, which was the first year of the revamped mixed doubles tournament. That figure includes 552,000 for the final. Read more

NASCAR Cup Series racing from New Hampshire averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.69 million viewers on USA Network a week ago Sunday, per the Nielsen “Big Data + Panel” methodology that is the official currency, and a 1.0 and 1.79 million per the prior panel-only metric that NASCAR now reports for its races — both up from last year, when the race averaged a 0.7 and 1.29 million opposite NFL games. Read more

Final round coverage of the PGA Tour BMW Championship averaged a 2.2 rating and 3.85 million viewers on CBS a week ago Sunday, marking the largest audience for the tournament since the inaugural edition in 2007, won by Tiger Woods. Read more

FOX topped Week 2 of the NFL preseason with a 2.6 rating and 4.90 million viewers for a Sunday night Seahawks-Titans game August 23, down from the network’s lone preseason game last year, a higher-profile pairing of the Bears and Bills in the same Sunday night window (5.1M). Read more

The Brewers-Braves MLB Little League Classic averaged 2.02 million viewers on ESPN a week ago Sunday, marking the most-watched MLB telecast on the ESPN networks this season. Perhaps not coincidentally, it was also the only Sunday night game on ESPN this season, after the network gave up its “Sunday Night Baseball” package in the offseason. Read more