Ratings roundup — NFL Network again outdrew all of its 2019 preseason games; Red Sox-Yankees gave ESPN a weeknight high; the NBA Summer League final scored a big jump; Hard Knocks is up, but still low.
NFL Network tops all 2019 preseason games for second-straight week
Thursday’s Patriots-Eagles NFL preseason game averaged 1.67 million viewers on NFL Network, trailing only Washington-New England a week earlier (1.75M) as the network’s most-watched preseason game since 2018.* NFL Network’s most-watched preseason game in 2019, Chiefs-Steelers, averaged 1.66 million.
On an incredibly quiet night of television, the game ranked second among all programs in adults 18-34 (0.30) and 18-49 (0.47), behind only “Big Brother” on CBS.
* Keep in mind there were no preseason games last year.
Red Sox-Yankees ESPN’s top weeknight game since April
Wednesday’s Red Sox-Yankees Major League Baseball game averaged 784,000 viewers on ESPN, up 50% from 2019 (Cubs-Phillies: 522K) and the network’s most-watched weeknight game since Braves-Yankees in April (835K). There was no comparable game last year due to a rainout. A’s-White Sox on Monday drew 477,000 (-29%).
In other action, Dodgers-Mets scored a 0.8 rating and 1.42 million viewers on Sunday Night Baseball last weekend, about even in ratings and up 8% in viewership from 2019 (Phillies-Giants: 0.85, 1.31M). Versus Red Sox-Yankees on the comparable date last August — three weeks into the months-delayed, shortened season — ratings were flat and viewership increased 11% (from 1.28M).
Elsewhere last weekend, TBS averaged a 0.23 and 373,000 for Yankees-White Sox on Sunday and FS1 a 0.18 and 307,000 for Reds-Phillies on Saturday, both down from the most recent comparable window. Going back to last week, ESPN drew a 0.32 and 527,000 for Dodgers-Phillies on August 11 and a 0.28 and 450,000 for White Sox-Twins on August 9.
Big jump for NBA Summer League final, with caveat
Tuesday’s Kings-Celtics NBA Summer League final averaged 435,000 viewers on ESPN, up 62% from the previous title game in 2019, which aired on ESPN2 (Grizzlies-Timberwolves: 269K), but down 5% from 2018 on ESPN (Blazers-Lakers: 456K). It was not the most-watched game of the Summer League, trailing a Pistons-Rockets game pitting the top two picks in the NBA Draft (520K).
Hard Knocks up from last year’s lows, but barely
The first two episodes of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” averaged 317,000 and 273,000 viewers respectively, up from the corresponding episodes last year (273K and 251K), but dramatically lower than the first two episodes in 2019 (705K and 733K). “Hard Knocks” has now failed to crack the 400,000 viewer mark in eight-straight episodes, compared to zero such episodes in the previous five seasons combined.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 8.17 a, b, 8.18, 8.20]
