Ratings roundup — including the latest figures for the NBA playoffs, last weekend’s NASCAR and F1 action, Major League Baseball and more.
Warriors-Nuggets leads NBA first round clinchers
Wednesday’s Nuggets-Warriors first round NBA playoff Game 5 averaged 4.02 million viewers on TNT, the most-watched first round clincher thus far (pending results for Friday’s Grizzlies-Timberwolves Game 6) and up as much as 20% from Mavericks-Clippers last year (3.36M*). Compared to Clippers-Warriors Game 5 in the same window three years ago — Golden State’s previous trip to the playoffs — viewership slipped 2% from 4.09 million. The Bulls-Bucks lead-in drew a 1.6 rating (-2%) and 2.72 million (-5%*).
In other action, Suns-Pelicans concluded with 3.47 million viewers on Tuesday and a 1.6 and 2.65 million opposite the NFL Draft Thursday — both down from last year but up from 2019. Mavericks-Jazz finished with 3.21 million Thursday night, down sharply from last year’s Suns-Lakers clincher, which aired in June and did not face the NFL Draft (4.53M*).
Rounding out the recent TNT slate, Timberwolves-Grizzlies Game 5 scored a 1.8 and 2.90 million on Tuesday — topping both last year (Celtics-Nets: 1.7, 2.78M*) and 2019 (Nets-Sixers: 1.5, 2.28M). Figures for Friday’s clinching Game 6 will not be available until Monday.
Shifting to NBA TV, first round action averaged 571,000 viewers — up 44% from last year and the network’s highest average since 2014. Its coverage concluded with Sixers-Raptors at a 0.34 and 627,000 opposite the NFL Draft on Thursday and Hawks-Heat at a 0.37 and 613,000 two nights earlier
NASCAR Talladega slips, but top race since Daytona 500
NASCAR Cup Series racing from Talladega (Ala.) averaged a 2.6 rating and 4.68 million viewers on FOX last Sunday, down slightly from last year (2.6, 4.70M**) but still the most-watched Cup Series event since the Daytona 500 (8.87M). The corresponding Xfinity Series race averaged a 1.3 and 2.06 million, the series’ largest audience at any track in five years.
Earlier Sunday, the Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix averaged a 0.7 and 1.00 million on ESPN — the sixth-largest F1 audience ever on U.S. cable television. It also ranks as the most-watched F1 race from Italy since 2006 and the fourth-most watched overall, regardless of network. ESPN is now averaging 1.1 million viewers for F1 coverage, up 22% from the first four races last year (909K).
The Cup, Xfinity and F1 races peaked at 6.0, 2.8 and 1.2 million viewers respectively.
Sunday Night Baseball only MLB window cracking 300K mark
Brewers-Phillies averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.11 million viewers on last weekend’s edition of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, down sharply from Padres-Dodgers on ESPN and ESPN2 on the same weekend last year (2.01M*). With ESPN’s regular season coverage now consisting almost solely of Sunday night games, no other MLB window over the past two weeks has cracked the 300,000 viewer mark. FS1 drew a 0.12 and 202,000 for White Sox-Twins last weekend, while TBS drew 206,000 and 234,000 for its two Tuesday night games over that span (Mets-Cardinals this past week and Braves-Dodgers the week prior) — an actual improvement over its season premiere (Padres-Giants: 173K).
Outside of Sunday Night Baseball, no MLB game over that two-week time period has averaged as many viewers as ESPN’s Virginia Tech-Tennessee college softball game on April 21 (343K) — which aired in the window once occupied by Wednesday Night Baseball.
Plus: USFL, NHL, PGA Tour
The second weekend of the USFL averaged 661,000 viewers according to Sports Business Journal, down 57% from Week 1 (1.57M). That compares to a 69% decline from Week 1 to Week 2 of the Alliance of American Football in 2019 (from 1.95M to 607K) and a 34% drop from Week 1 to Week 2 of the XFL reboot two years ago (from 3.12 to 2.05M). … Rangers-Bruins drew a 0.45 rating and 774,000 viewers in the season finale of ABC Hockey Saturday last weekend, marking the eighth-straight NHL game on broadcast television with fewer than one million viewers. ABC will not carry another NHL game until Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final June 18. TNT drew a 0.26 and 433,000 for its Penguins-Flyers season finale the following day. ESPN wrapped up its regular season slate with 337,000 for Oilers-Penguins and 335,000 for Blues-Avalanche on Tuesday. … Final round coverage of the PGA Tour at New Orleans averaged a 1.2 and 1.80 million on CBS last Sunday, preceded by third round coverage at a 1.0 and 1.48 million the previous day, both down from last year (1.4, 2.16M*; 1.1, 1.60M*).
** It was not immediately clear if last year’s audience of 4.70 million does or does not include corrected Nielsen out-of-home data.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily]
