Hard Knocks viewership continues to trend at multi-year highs; the Premier League delivered its largest opening weekend cable audience; Phillies-Giants dropped double-digits on ESPN and FS1; the ArenaBowl was no match for its last appearance on Nielsen-rated TV.
Hard Knocks hits four-year high in episode two
Episode two of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” averaged 733,000 viewers Tuesday night, up 24% from last year (590K), up 20% from 2017 (612K), and the largest audience for any episode of the series since the 2015 season finale (894K). Including streaming, the telecast averaged 887,000.
Both episodes of “Hard Knocks” this season have hit multi-year highs, with the previous week’s episode ranking as the most-watched season premiere since 2015.
Man U-Chelsea top EPL opening weekend match on cable
Sunday’s Manchester United-Chelsea English Premier League match averaged a 0.6 rating and 952,000 viewers on NBCSN, up 32% in ratings and viewership from Manchester City-Arsenal last year (0.44, 723K) and up 32% and 40% respectively from Manchester United-West Ham in 2017 (0.44, 680K).
The match, which peaked with 1.06 million viewers from 12:45-1 PM ET, delivered the largest audience yet for an opening weekend Premier League match on cable. The previous high was 745,000 for Arsenal-Liverpool in 2016. Including streaming viewership, the match averaged 1.01 million viewers.
In other opening weekend action, Aston Villa-Tottenham drew a 0.6 (flat) and 829,000 (+4%) on NBC Saturday afternoon.
Phillies-Giants down Saturday and Sunday
Phillies-Giants averaged a 0.85 rating and 1.31 million viewers on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball last weekend, down 32% in ratings and 33% in viewership from last year (Nationals-Cubs: 1.25, 1.95M) and down 50% and 49% respectively from Red Sox-Yankees in 2017 (1.7, 2.56M).
The same matchup pulled a 0.22 (-12%) and 318,000 (-17%) on FS1 the previous afternoon.
In other action, Red Sox-Indians averaged a 0.5 and 785,000 on ESPN Monday night — down 49% in ratings and 48% in viewership from last year (1.0, 1.52M), and down 21% and 20% from 2017 (0.7, 982K), both of which were Mets-Yankees games. Last year’s game was an exclusive telecast.
Angels-Red Sox the previous day had a 0.29 and 417,000 (+67%) on TBS.
ArenaBowl down from last time on Nielsen-rated TV
Sunday’s Arena Football League ArenaBowl averaged 243,000 viewers on ESPN2, down 41% from 2016 (413K) and down 44% from 2015 (431K), both of which aired on ESPN. Those were the last two times the game aired on a Nielsen-rated network. Coverage aired on CBS Sports Network last year and was not nationally televised in 2017.
The ArenaBowl outpaced last year’s CFL Grey Cup, which had 200,000 on ESPN2. That game aired on an NFL Sunday.
[Nielsen estimates via ShowBuzz Daily 8.13 a, b, 8.14; Sports Business Daily 8.14; NBC Sports PR 8.13; Programming Insider 8.14]
