Overnight ratings increased double-digits for college football’s Apple Cup. In other news, NHL “Thanksgiving Showdown” overnights held steady on NBC, and NASCAR’s Xfinity and Truck Series ended on a low note last weekend.
Apple Cup Overnights Up Double-Digits
FOX scored a 2.6 overnight for Friday’s Washington-Washington State college football game, up 18% from Texas Tech-Texas in the same window last year (2.2). Compared to last year’s Apple Cup, which aired on a Saturday night, overnights rose 63% from a 1.6.
The 2.6 is the highest for the Apple Cup since it began airing on FOX in 2012.
NHL Thanksgiving Showdown Flat
Friday’s Rangers-Flyers NHL “Thanksgiving Showdown” earned a 0.9 overnight rating on NBC, even with Penguins-Bruins last year and down a tick from the same Rangers-Flyers matchup in 2016.
In other recent NHL action, Wednesday’s Flyers-Sabres game pulled a 13.8 rating on NBCSN in Buffalo — the network’s highest for a regular season game in the market. National figures were not immediately available.
Downer Finales For NASCAR Xfinity, Truck, Series
Last Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series finale from Homestead earned a 0.6 rating and 986,000 viewers on NBCSN, down 21% in ratings and 18% in viewership from last year (0.8, 1.20M) and down 29% and 27% respectively from 2016 (0.8, 1.35M). Ratings and viewership have dropped in three straight years.
The previous night’s Truck Series finale from Homestead had just 542,000 viewers on FS1 — down 6% from last year (578K) and down 7% from 2016 (581K). It was the least-watched edition of the race since 2014 (507K).
[Numbers from Fox Sports PR 11.24; NBC Sports PR; Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 11.20]
