Ratings roundup: Thursday Night Football dropped double-digits from 2019; the NHL got off to a good start on TNT; NASCAR’s Charlotte Roval hit a low; Formula 1 viewership continues to surge.
Thursday Night Football dips from ’19
Buccaneers-Eagles averaged an 8.0 rating and 14.42 million viewers in the latest Thursday Night Football simulcast on FOX and NFL Network, down 16% and 10% respectively from 2019 (Giants-Patriots: 9.5, 16.00M). Last year’s Week 6 Thursday night game (Chiefs-Bills) was postponed to Monday afternoon and averaged 12.16 million. TNF comfortably outdrew the competing Dodgers-Giants National League Division Series Game 5 on TBS (6.50M).
TNT’s NHL debut tops 800K
TNT’s first-ever NHL regular season game, Rangers-Capitals on Wednesday night, averaged 817,000 viewers — the largest audience on record for an NHL game on the second night of the season. Viewership jumped 243% from Wild-Predators on NBCSN in 2019 (238K). There was no nationally televised game on the second night of last season, which began months later than usual in January.
The Blackhawks-Avalanche nightcap drew 522,000. Viewership peaked at 920,000 for Rangers-Capitals and at 887,000 for Blackhawks-Avalanche.
Charlotte “Roval” hits low, but share higher
Last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Charlotte “Roval” averaged a 1.6 rating and 2.55 million viewers on NBC, down a tick in ratings and 8% in viewership from last year (1.7, 2.78M) and down 11% and 16% respectively from 2019 (1.8, 3.02M). While the lowest rated and least-watched edition of the Charlotte “Roval” (dates back to 2017), it averaged a higher share than any of the previous races (4.51).
Kyle Larson’s win, which peaked with 3.4 million viewers, snapped a streak of six-straight Cup Series races to increase over last year.
The corresponding Xfinity Series race at Charlotte averaged a 0.7 (flat) and 1.16 million (+5%).
F1 viewership up 51 percent through 15 races
Last Sunday’s Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix averaged a 0.43 rating and 716,000 viewers on ESPN2, marking a 59% increase in viewership over last year’s race, which took place in November and aired in the overnight hours (449K). F1 races are now averaging 916,000 viewers, up 51% from the same number of races last season (605K) and up 39% from the same point in 2019 (660K).
