Ratings hit a new low for the NASCAR Duel at Daytona; Duke’s comeback against Louisville delivered for ESPN; the NHRA season-opener jumped double-digits; NBC scored an increase for track and field’s Millrose Games.
New low for NASCAR Duel at Daytona
The NASCAR Duel at Daytona had a 1.0 rating and 1.73 million viewers on FS1 Thursday night, down a tick in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year (1.1, 1.98M) and down a third and 31% respectively from 2017 (1.5, 2.51M). Ratings and viewership were the lowest for the event since at least 2010, and likely further back.
Despite the lower numbers, NASCAR was easily the top sporting event of the night, easily topping TNT’s Thunder-Pelicans NBA game (0.7, 1.09M).
Duke comeback delivers for ESPN
Tuesday’s Duke-Louisville men’s college basketball game had a 1.2 rating and 1.88 million viewers on ESPN, up 216% in ratings and 231% in viewership from last year opposite the Olympics (UVA-Miami: 0.37, 567K) and up 98% and 104% respectively from 2017 (Ohio State-Michigan State: 0.6, 919K).
Duke’s comeback win ranks sixth among weeknight games this season, behind both games of the Champions Classic, two Duke games in the Maui Invitational, and Duke-Syracuse last month (2.12M). It edged the competing Celtics-Sixers NBA game on TNT (1.2, 1.80M).
Earlier Tuesday, LSU-Kentucky had a 0.9 (+80%) and 1.46 million (+92%).
NHRA opener bounces back from last year
The NHRA season opener from Pomona (Ca.) delivered 982,000 viewers on FS1, up 26% from last year (782K), but down 20% from 2017, when coverage aired on the FOX broadcast network (1.22M). The race had a slightly stronger lead-in than last year, as NASCAR’s Clash at Daytona increased two percent.
Millrose Games scores increase on NBC
Coverage of track and field’s Millrose Games had a 0.9 rating and 1.38 million viewers on NBC last Saturday, up a tick in ratings and 11% in viewership from last year (0.8, 1.24M) and up a tick and 14% respectively from 2017 (0.8, 1.21M). It was NBC’s highest rated and most-watched sporting event of the weekend, surpassing the network’s Sunday NHL coverage (0.6, 898K).
[Numbers from Nielsen via Programming Insider 2.13, 2.15; ShowBuzz Daily 2.12]
