The WNBA Draft averaged its second-largest audience in 17 years. Plus: NASCAR scored a bump for its make-up race at Martinsville; Sunday Night Baseball scored a bump; and more.
WNBA Draft trails only last year as most-watched since 2004
Thursday’s WNBA Draft averaged 331,000 viewers on ESPN, down 12% from last year, when it faced zero competing live sporting events (378K), but still the second-largest audience for the event since 2004 (601K). Prior to last year, the first round of the draft typically aired on ESPN2, with the remaining rounds on ESPNU. This year marked just the second time in a decade that any portion of the draft aired on the ESPN flagship network.
Martinsville make-up race tops last year’s midweek edition
The concluding 458 laps of last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) averaged a 1.4 rating and 2.30 million viewers on FS1 Sunday, up 27% in ratings and 34% in viewership from last year’s race, a Thursday night makeup race in June (1.1, 1.71M). The first 42 laps averaged a 0.85 and 1.40 million Saturday night before the race was postponed due to rain.
The Xfinity Series race at Martinsville, which was delayed from Friday to Sunday due to rain, had a 0.55 and 886,000.
Slight bump for Sunday Night Baseball
Phillies-Braves averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.55 million viewers on last week’s edition of Sunday Night Baseball, flat in ratings and up 4% in viewership from the comparable date in 2019 (4/7/19 Dodgers-Rockies: 0.9, 1.50M), but down 25% and 19% from the comparable week of last year’s delayed, shortened season (8/2/20 Red Sox-Yankees: 1.2, 1.91M).
ESPN this week touted a 33% jump in viewership for Sunday night games, but that is only when comparing this year’s first two games to last season’s full, nine-game schedule.
In other action, FS1 drew a 0.22 and 352,000 (+20%) for A’s-Astros on Saturday and 405,000 viewers for Cubs-Brewers on Monday. ESPN averaged 358,000 for Phillies-Mets and 342,000 for Reds-Giants on Tuesday, down 16% and 50% respectively from 2019 (Blue Jays-Red Sox: 425K; Yankees-Astros: 688K).
Plus: UFC on ABC, Frozen Four, soccer, NHL
Last Saturday’s UFC main event on ABC averaged a 0.6 rating and 859,000 viewers, down a tick and 30% respectively from the network’s UFC debut in January (0.7, 1.22M). … The UMass-St. Cloud NCAA men’s hockey title game averaged a 0.23 and 435,000 on ESPN last Saturday night, up 10% and 36% respectively from 2019, when the game aired on ESPN2 (0.21, 321K). Compared to the previous edition to air on ESPN — 2018 — ratings fell 34% (from 0.35) and viewership 33% (from 653K). … ABC’s Serie A debut last weekend (Fiorentina-Atalanta) averaged a mere 0.14 and 225,000, well below the two other soccer matches on broadcast last weekend — a Chelsea-Crystal Palace Premier League match on NBC (0.42, 737K) and a United States-Sweden women’s soccer friendly on FOX (0.41, 713K). … NBCSN averaged 230,000 viewers for Wednesday’s Avalanche-Blues NHL game, the league’s top audience on cable this month. No NHL game has cracked the 300,000 mark on cable since March 24. Wednesday’s Golden Knights-Kings nightcap drew 212,000 and Flyers-Capitals scored just 141,000 on Tuesday.
[Nielsen estimates from ESPN PR/Twitter 4.16, ShowBuzz Daily 4.13]
