Ratings: NFL preseason, Tour Championship, MLB

Sunday’s Steelers-Titans NFL preseason game averaged a 4.5 overnight rating on NBC, down 6% from Cardinals-Cowboys last year (4.8), and down 8% from 49ers-Vikings in 2017 (4.9). The 4.5 is the highest of this year’s preseason. Compared to Seahawks-Vikings on FOX in the same window the previous week, overnights increased 13% from a 4.0.

In other action, Friday’s Bills-Lions preseason game averaged 3.45 million viewers on CBS — up 7% from a delayed Lions-Buccaneers game last year (3.23M), but down 34% from Chiefs-Seahawks in 2017 (5.22M). Final ratings were not immediately available.

Final round coverage of The Tour Championship, the final event in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup, averaged a 2.9 overnight rating on NBC — down 34% from last year, when Tiger Woods won (4.4), but up 93% from 2017 (1.5). The 2.9 trails only last year as the highest for the tournament in a decade (2009: 3.3).

Prior to this year, the tournament took place in September opposite regular season NFL games. This year’s telecast faced zero NFL competition.

Despite a suspension due to rain, third round action on Saturday averaged a 1.5 overnight — trailing only last year (3.1) as the highest for third round coverage since 2014 (1.8).

Yankees-Dodgers averaged a 1.9 overnight rating on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball last night, tying the network’s highest MLB overnight of the season. A Yankees-Red Sox game pulled the same number last month. Overnights increased 58% over Yankees-Orioles last year, according to ESPN.

Despite the season-high, Yankees-Dodgers was not the top baseball telecast of the weekend in the metered markets. It trailed a pair of Little League World Series games — the U.S. Championship on Saturday (2.1) and the World Championship on Sunday (2.0). Keep in mind those games aired on over-the-air ABC.