Hard Knocks ended its season with a third straight decline; it was a good weekend for motorsports; Sunday Night Baseball scored an increase; the BIG3 championship sank from previous years.
Hard Knocks finishes with third straight decline
The season finale of HBO’s Hard Knocks averaged 605,000 viewers Tuesday night, down a fraction of a percent from last year (606K), but up 7% from 2017 (568K). After the season opened with a pair of multi-year highs, the final three episodes each declined from last year — with the caveat that two of the three declines were by less than one percent.
Good weekend for NASCAR Xfinity, IndyCar, F1
Last Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race from Darlington (S.C.) averaged a 1.1 rating and 1.70 million viewers on the NBC broadcast network, marking the highest rated and most-watched race of the season. The previous marks were a 1.0 (two races) and 1.53 million (Daytona in February). NBC NASCAR analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. participated in the race and finished fifth. Ratings increased 26% (from 0.9) and viewership 24% (from 1.38M).
In other racing action, Sunday’s IndyCar race from Portland averaged a 0.7 and 1.10 million on the NBC broadcast network, up 111% and 108% respectively from last year on NBCSN. It was the fifth IndyCar telecast to top the million viewer mark this season, tied as the most in a single season since at least 2008.
Earlier Sunday, the F1 Belgian Grand Prix had a 0.40 (+3%) and 660,000 (+10%) on ESPN2 — the second-largest audience for the race since 1995.
Mets-Phils up on Sunday night
Mets-Phillies averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.19 million viewers on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball last weekend, up a tick in ratings and 22% in viewership from last year (Angels-Astros: 0.6, 975K), but down 42% and 40% respectively from Red Sox-Yankees in 2017 (1.2, 1.96M).
The same matchup averaged 245,000 on FS1 the previous day (-42%).
In other action, A’s-Yankees scored a 0.34 (+13%) and 505,000 (+11%) on TBS Sunday. Monday’s rain-delayed Rangers-Yankees game pulled 759,000 on ESPN (-10%), with abbreviated coverage of Astros-Brewers scoring 1.19 million.
BIG3 title game down from previous two years
Last Sunday’s BIG3 championship game averaged a 0.48 and 674,000 viewers on CBS, down 31% in ratings and 33% in viewership from last year on a Friday night (0.7, 1.00M), and down 2% and 14% respectively from 2017 on a Saturday afternoon (0.49, 787K). The game aired on FOX prior to this year.
