The WNBA began its shortened, delayed season with an eight-year viewership high. Also: FOX MLB overnights, NBA scrimmage viewership, and NBC’s Premier League averages.
WNBA posts largest opening weekend audience in eight years
Saturday’s Sparks-Mercury WNBA opening day game averaged 540,000 viewers on ABC, marking the league’s largest opening weekend audience since 2012 (Mercury-Lynx: 804K). Viewership increased 19% over last year’s first game on the network, Mercury-Storm (452K).
Earlier in the day, Storm-Liberty averaged 419,000 on ESPN — likely the largest WNBA regular season audience on cable since Mercury-Lynx on ESPN in 2016 (505K). The game marked the WNBA debut of Liberty G Sabrina Ionescu. [ESPN PR 7.26]
Overnights up double-digits for Yanks-Nats on FOX
Saturday’s Yankees-Nationals Major League Baseball game averaged a 2.1 overnight rating on FOX, up 24% from the network’s first primetime window last season, which aired in May (ft. Cubs-Nationals: 1.7).
Earlier in the day, Brewers-Cubs averaged a 1.5 and Giants-Dodgers a 1.7.
Locally, Yankees-Nationals averaged a 5.2 in Washington D.C. and a 4.6 in New York, Giants-Dodgers a 4.8 in Los Angeles and 4.6 in the Bay Area, and Brewers-Cubs a 9.4 in Milwaukee and a 6.2 in Chicago. [Fox Sports PR 7.27]
Over 300K for Mavs-Lakers scrimmage
Thursday’s Mavericks-Lakers NBA scrimmage averaged a 0.19 rating and 309,000 viewers on NBA TV, easily the largest audience on the first two days of play. While no match for the competing MLB Opening Day games on ESPN or NASCAR on NBCSN, the scrimmage outdrew competing MLS is Back Tournament matches on FS1 and ESPN2. [Programming Insider 7.24]
EPL viewership down from pre-hiatus levels
Entering Championship Sunday, NBC Sports was averaging 373,000 viewers for the resumption of the English Premier League season — down 17% from the network’s average prior to the league’s three-month hiatus (450K), according to the Associated Press.
Last Wednesday’s Liverpool-Chelsea match averaged 550,000 on NBCSN, the second-largest weekday EPL audience since NBC acquired rights. [AP 7.25, NBC Sports PR/Twitter 7.23]
Select WNBA games are also airing on ESPN Deportes, which is curious since there’s not a single Hispanic American player (there’s a Spaniard and a Brazilian).
I expected higher for the Yankees-Nats game on Fox? Especially being on broadcast. Thought it would be closer to ESPNs Thursday night game (I imagine the final #s will be below 2.0?).
Do you think the lower numbers are due to it being Saturday night in the summer?
and, the curiosity of the first game is gone?
I’m not that surprised — I think the general trend here is big jump at the outset, followed by numbers settling into usual levels.