Ratings roundup — the Copa America final scored a big jump in its return to Univision; the Mexico and USMNT Gold Cup openers increased from 2019; NASCAR saw a dip for its new Atlanta race; the PGA Tour posted its smallest final round audience of the season.
Copa America final up big in return to Univision
Saturday’s Argentina-Brazil Copa America final averaged 3.5 million viewers on Univision and TUDN, up 30% from the 2019 final on Telemundo (Brazil-Peru: 2.7M), but down 43% from the last time the final aired on Univision in 2016 (Chile-Argentina: 6.2M). English-language coverage on FS1 averaged a 0.8 rating and 1.84 million viewers. It was not immediately clear whether that figure includes pre-match coverage. English-language coverage of the 2019 final aired on ESPN+, which is not Nielsen rated.
The full Copa America tournament averaged 1.1 million on the Univision networks. By comparison, Telemundo averaged 1.2 million for the 2019 tournament — but that figure includes additional streaming data not tracked by Nielsen.
Mexico, USMNT, Gold Cup openers up from ’19
Airing immediately after the Copa America final, Saturday’s Mexico-Trinidad & Tobago Concacaf Gold Cup opener averaged 2.4 million viewers on Univision and TUDN — up 28% from the team’s 2019 opener against Cuba (1.88M). The following day’s United States-Haiti match averaged 1.3 million, up 48% from the first USMNT match in the 2019 tournament, which aired on cable’s UniMas.
On FS1, the Mexico match averaged 371,000 and the USMNT match 719,000.
NASCAR’s new Atlanta race dips from same weekend last year
The new NASCAR Cup Series race from Atlanta averaged a 1.5 rating and 2.51 million viewers on NBCSN Sunday afternoon, down a tick in ratings and 2% in viewership from Kentucky on FS1 the equivalent date last year (1.6, 2.58M). Kurt Busch’s win, which peaked with 2.9 million, ranks third out of the four new races this season — behind Road America on NBC July 4 (3.08M) and Nashville on NBCSN June 20 (2.59M), but ahead of Circuit of the Americas on FS1 May 23 (2.36M).
The corresponding Xfinity Series race averaged a 0.6 and 1.12 million on Saturday, marking the series’ largest cable audience since the season’s previous Atlanta race in March on FS1 (1.14M). Finally, the Truck Series pulled a 0.36 and 594,000 on FS1.
Weak return for PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour John Deere Classic averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.52 million viewers on CBS, down a tick in ratings and 6% in viewership from the last time the event was held in 2019 (1.0, 1.62M) and down 45% and 40% respectively from last year’s replacement tournament at Muirfield Village (1.7, 2.52M).
Lucas Glover’s win ranks as easily the least-watched final round window on broadcast this season. The previous low was 1.84 million for the final round of the Byron Nelson in May.
[Nielsen estimates from Univision, Fox Sports, NASCAR, CBS Sports]
