The Masters highlights this weekend’s ratings forecast. Also on tap, the NBA, baseball, NASCAR and hockey.
First, the Results of Last Week’s Predictions
— Men’s Final Four: UNC-Oregon. Prediction: 8.8; final rating: 10.4.
— Men’s Final Four: Gonzaga-South Carolina. Prediction: 7.1; final rating: 8.5.
— Women’s Nat’l Champ.: South Carolina-Mississippi State. Prediction: 1.8; final rating: 2.3.
— MLB Opening Night: Cubs-Cardinals. Prediction: 2.5; final rating: 2.1.
— NBA: Celtics-Knicks & Jazz-Spurs. Predictions: 1.4 and 1.5; final ratings: 1.2 and 1.6.
— NASCAR Cup Series: Martinsville. Prediction: 2.3; final rating: 2.3.
— NHL: Bruins-Blackhawks. Prediction: 0.9; final rating: 0.8.
This Week’s Predictions (All Times ET)
The Masters: Third & Final Rounds (3 PM Sat & 2 PM Sun, CBS)
- With several other sports also struggling in the ratings department, the PGA Tour’s slow start to the season has been generally overlooked. Ratings have declined for 14 of the past 17 windows on broadcast TV, including nine straight final round telecasts. The Masters would seem a good opportunity to turn things around, but that may be easier said than done with Jordan Spieth in a tie for 41st and world #1 Dustin Johnson out with a back injury. Not to mention the continued absence of Tiger Woods, which is no longer surprising but remains a drag on the ratings. The two previous years he missed The Masters, final round ratings were a 7.7 (last year) and 6.9 (2014) — two of the three lowest since 1993. Expect the slump to continue. Predictions: 4.8 and 7.1.
NBA Saturday Primetime: Clippers-Spurs (8:30 PM Sat, ABC)
- A stinker year for the NBA on ABC comes to an end with a low-key clash between the Clippers and Spurs. Yes there are playoff implications, but the bloom came off the Clippers’ rose years ago and the Spurs are the Spurs. Still, expect ratings to improve over Cavaliers-Bulls last year (1.3) — which was artificially low thanks to a competing Warriors game on ESPN. Prediction: 1.7.
MLB Sunday Night Baseball: Marlins-Mets (8 PM Sun, ESPN)
- Coming off of a hot start for Cubs-Cardinals last week, do not expect ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball to keep the momentum going this weekend. Marlins-Mets seems like a matchup better suited for the July dog days of the season than for week two. Prediction: 1.1.
NASCAR Cup Series: Texas (1:30 PM Sun, FOX)
- NASCAR ratings have declined for five straight weeks since Daytona, but that streak should come to an end this weekend. Credit a scheduling change that moved Texas from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, a far better window for NASCAR ratings. Last year’s Texas race pulled a 2.7 rating, the lowest ever for a Cup Series race on FOX. Prediction: 3.3.
NHL regular season: Capitals-Bruins (3 PM Sat, NBC)
- Not once in fourteen indoor games this season has NBC cracked sports TV’s Mendoza line — a 1.0 rating. Do not expect Saturday’s Captials-Bruins finale to break the drought. Last year’s Penguins-Flyers game had a 0.9. Prediction: 0.7.
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