Recent sports TV ratings, including the final event of the PGA Tour season, the US Open women’s semifinals, Major League Baseball and more.
Tour Championship up, though final round down
The PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship averaged a 1.2 rating and 2.00 million viewers across NBC and Golf Channel over Labor Day weekend, the tournament’s second-largest audience in 20 years. The 2018 edition, won by Tiger Woods, holds the top spot. Viewership increased 37% over last year, when the event was held in August.
Monday’s final round averaged a 2.4 rating and 4.01 million viewers in NBC’s primary 3-6 PM ET window — down a tick in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year (2.5, 4.38M). Figures for the full 1:30-6 PM ET telecast were not immediately available.
Last Sunday’s third round averaged a 1.9 (+58%) and 3.18 million (+87%). Golf Channel averaged a 1.0 and 1.57 million for second round action last Saturday, a 0.7 and 1.20 million for lead-in coverage last Sunday, and 674,000 viewers for Monday’s lead-in.
US Open women’s semis down amidst competition
Thursday’s US Open women’s semifinals, which included Serena Williams’ three-set loss to Victoria Azarenka, averaged 1.55 million viewers on ESPN — down 17% from last year (1.87M), down 12% from 2018 (1.76M), and the lowest since 2016 (1.45M). In addition to the usual competition from the NFL Kickoff Game, this year’s semis also had to contend with NBA and NHL playoff games.
MLB on FOX replacement game hits record-low
Last Saturday’s Padres-A’s Major League Baseball game averaged just a 0.44 rating and 694,000 viewers on the FOX broadcast network, easily the lowest rating and viewership ever for MLB on broadcast television. The game was originally scheduled for FS1 but moved up to FOX after the network lost a scheduled primetime window last month.
In other action, Cardinals-Cubs averaged a 0.7 and 1.21 million on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball last weekend — down 32% in ratings and 29% in viewership from the comparable week of last season (5/12/19 Brewers-Cubs: 1.0, 1.71M) and down 14% and 7% respectively from last year’s equivalent date, which coincided with Week 1 of the NFL season (Yankees-Red Sox: 0.8, 1.30M).
The same matchup averaged 596,000 on ESPN Labor Day afternoon.
Plus: UEFA Nations League, Racing, Tour de France, PBC
ABC’s two UEFA Nations League matches last Saturday — Iceland-England (0.49, 729K) and Portugal-Croatia (0.29, 445K) — outdrew the same day’s primetime MLS on FOX (Atlanta-Orlando: 0.26, 421K) and return of the NWSL on CBS (Sky Blue-Washington: 0.26, 381K). … Ratings for last Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington fell 36% (from 1.1 to 0.7) and viewership 31% (from 1.70 to 1.18M); NBC’s coverage aired in an earlier window this year. Last Sunday’s NHRA eliminations on FOX (0.48, -22%; 814K, -14%) and F1 Italian Grand Prix on ESPN2 (0.35, -15%; 602K, -5%) also declined. … Tour de France coverage on NBC averaged a 0.6 and 937,000 last Saturday, off slightly from the network’s live morning stage last year (0.7, 1.05M). … Premier Boxing Champions averaged a 0.6 and 1.02 million in a rare Sunday night window on FOX last weekend, easily its most-watched telecast since its August 1 return.
[Nielsen estimates from NBC Sports, ShowBuzz Daily 9.9 a, b, 9.11]
