Ratings: WCF, NHL, MLB, UEFA Euros

Tuesday’s Clippers-Suns NBA Western Conference Finals Game 2 averaged 5.27 million viewers on ESPN, up 66% from last year’s Nuggets-Lakers Game 2 in the “bubble” — which aired opposite Sunday Night Football (3.17M) — but down a third from the comparable Blazers-Warriors Game 2 in 2019 (7.88M). Viewership topped every game of last year’s Lakers-Nuggets series.

The Suns’ narrow win, which peaked with 7.09 million at 11:45 PM ET, increased 16% over Sunday’s Game 1 on ABC (4.53M).

The preceding NBA Draft Lottery averaged just a 1.3 rating and 2.19 million viewers, down 11% and 3% respectively from last year (1.5, 2.25M) and the smallest audience for the event since at least 2007.

Tuesday’s Canadiens-Golden Knights NHL semifinal Game 5 averaged a 0.54 rating and series-low 963,000 viewers on NBCSN, up 15% in ratings and 16% in viewership from Stars-Golden Knights in the “bubble” last year — which aired opposite Monday Night Football (0.47, 829K) — but down 53% and 47% respectively from Blues-Sharks on the NBC broadcast network in 2019 (1.1, 1.81M).

Game 4 on Sunday night drew a series-high 1.32 million viewers, down 21% from last year on NBC (1.68M) but down just 3% from 2019 on NBCSN (1.37M) — the closest any third round game has come to 2019 thus far. Game 3 last Friday had 983,000, up 24% from last year (790K) but down 29% from ’19 (1.39M).

Shifting to the other semifinal, Islanders-Lightning Game 5 averaged a 0.65 rating and 1.27 million on NBCSN Monday — up 2% in ratings and 5% in viewership from the same matchup last year (0.64, 1.10M). Game 4 pulled 1.32 million viewers on USA Saturday, up 40% from last year, when coverage aired on NBC but faced the NFL (944K), and down 29% from Bruins-Hurricanes in ’19 (1.86M).

A 7-inning Cardinals-Braves Sunday Night Baseball game averaged just 931,000 viewers on ESPN over the weekend, down 49% from the comparable window in 2019 (Cubs-Dodgers: 1.84M) and the least-watched Sunday night game this season. The game aired opposite an NBA Game 7 (Hawks-Sixers: 6.16M) and partially overlapped with the final round of golf’s U.S. Open.

The previous day, regional MLB action on FOX (Reds-Padres or White Sox-Astros) averaged 1.41 million — the least-watched FOX telecast of the season. The window was originally scheduled to include Cardinals-Braves, but the game was postponed. FS1 chipped in 261,000 for Tigers-Angels later in the night.

In other action, TBS averaged 359,000 for its season debut of A’s-Yankees last Sunday afternoon — unsurprisingly down 46% from its first game last season, which aired on the opening weekend of the months-delayed season (7/26/20 Yankees-Nationals: 659K). Compared to the network’s 2019 opener, viewership fell a more modest 9% (7/7/19 Yankees-Rays: 395K).

Going back to last week, ESPN averaged 445,000 for Red Sox-Braves last Wednesday — down 30% from 2019 (Brewers-Astros: 632K). The previous night’s Cubs-Mets game was healthier at 624,000, up 1% from Mets-Yankees in ’19 (617K). The same matchup drew 733,000 on June 14, the top weeknight MLB game since May 5.

Coverage of UEFA “Euro 2020” averaged 965,000 viewers on ESPN and ABC through last Saturday, up a third from 2016 (723K). That includes a tournament-high 1.83 million for Saturday’s Portugal-Germany match on ESPN, the event’s third-largest group stage audience since ESPN/ABC acquired rights in 2008. Only a pair of 2012 matches — Italy-Spain (2.19M) and Germany-Portugal (1.95M) — rank higher.

Four of the six largest group stage audiences have come this year alone, with France-Germany on June 15 ranking fourth (1.55M), England-Scotland last Friday fifth (1.54M) and Spain-Poland on Saturday sixth (1.51M).