With most of the country receiving a blowout, CBS posted the only decline of Week 1. Also: Yankees-Red Sox hit a Sunday night low, and the Dennis Rodman 30 For 30 delivered the series’ largest audience since February.
NFL singleheader only Week 1 window to decline
The Week 1 NFL singleheader, featuring Titans-Browns or Chiefs-Jaguars in 54% of markets, averaged a 9.0 rating and 15.38 million viewers on CBS last Sunday — down 7% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (ft. Texans-Patriots: 9.7, 17.08M), but up 18% and 15% respectively from 2017 (7.6, 13.34M).
The singleheader was the only Week 1 telecast to post a decline (seven total). The two featured games were both blowouts, including a 30-point Tennessee rout of Cleveland.
Yankees-Red Sox hits Sunday night low; crushed by Pats in Boston
Yankees-Red Sox averaged a 0.8 rating and 1.30 million viewers on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball last weekend, marking the rivals’ lowest rated and least-watched Sunday night matchup since at least 2006. Ratings declined 14% and viewership 12% from Astros-Red Sox last year (0.95, 1.48M), but increased 32% and 33% respectively from 2017 (Orioles-Indians: 0.6, 982K).
ESPN’s telecast was preempted for more than an hour by the US Open men’s final. In addition, the game was trounced in Boston by the Patriots’ competing opener on NBC. According to the Boston Globe, the Patriots beat the Red Sox by 1,352% (36.3 to 2.5).
The same matchup averaged a 0.24 and 379,000 on FS1 Saturday afternoon, flat in ratings and down 2% in viewership from Astros-Red Sox last year (0.24, 388K).
In other MLB action, Phillies-Mets scored just 157,000 on FS1 Saturday night. There was no comparable window last year. Figures for Sunday’s Phillies-Mets game on TBS were not available.
Rodman doc most-watched 30 For 30 since February
The premiere of the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary “Dennis Rodman: For Better or Worse” averaged 1.07 million viewers Tuesday night, marking the series’ largest audience since the debut of “Deion’s Double Play” in February (1.15M). The three intervening premieres each failed to crack 500,000 viewers.
