Ratings: Masters, NBA, MLB and more

Friday’s second round of the Masters golf tournament averaged a 1.9 rating and 3.5 million viewers, per Nielsen fast-nationals that do not include out-of-home data — the tournament’s largest cable audience since the second round in 2018 (3.9M).

The preliminary audience peaked at 4.6 million viewers from 6:30-6:45 PM ET, toward the end of Tiger Woods’ round.

ESPN averaged 3.3 million viewers for its two-day Masters coverage, up 31% from last year and the network’s highest average since 2018. That figure will rise with the addition of out-of-home and additional streaming data for Friday’s coverage.

ABC averaged 3.03 million viewers for its 19-game NBA regular season schedule, up 13% from last year and up 3% from two seasons ago. Its season finale, Nuggets-Lakers last Sunday, drew a 1.7 rating and 2.89 million — up 75% in ratings and as much as 64% in viewership from Lakers-Clippers on the same Sunday last year (1.0, 1.76M*) and comfortably ahead of its more meaningful Mavericks-Bucks lead-in (1.2, 2.11M).

Despite the Lakers’ elimination from the playoffs and the absence of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis, Lakers-Warriors averaged 1.64 million on TNT Thursday — up as much as 45% from Suns-Clippers last year (1.13M*). Celtics-Bucks drew a 0.8 (+36%) and 1.35 million (+35%*) earlier in the night.

In other action, Nets-Knicks scored a combined 1.46 million across ESPN and ESPN2 Wednesday, the latter chipping in just 152,000 for a special retrospective broadcast modeled after NBA coverage of past decades — up 46% from Pelicans-Nets on ESPN alone last year (1.00M*). The Suns-Clippers nightcap had 1.02 million, down at least 12% from last year’s Jazz-Suns (1.16M*).

Rounding out the recent slate, Bucks-Bulls drew a 0.8 and 1.21 million on ESPN Tuesday — up 58% in ratings and as much as 54% in viewership from Sixers-Celtics on TNT last year (0.48, 782K*).

Thursday’s Reds-Braves Major League Baseball Opening Night game averaged a 0.8 rating and 1.37 million viewers on ESPN2, marking the largest Opening Day MLB audience — excluding the months-delayed season two years ago — since 2018 (Giants-Dodgers: 1.97M). Keep in mind ESPN’s featured Opening Day game last year (Mets-Nationals) was postponed at the last minute and that the equivalent 2019 window (Red Sox-Mariners: 1.19M) faced men’s NCAA Tournament games.

The Opening Night telecast on ESPN2 comfortably outdrew the competing Masters re-air on ESPN (886K) and edged TNT’s competing Celtics-Bucks NBA game (1.35M), though it was no match for Lakers-Warriors later in the night (1.64M).

NASCAR Cup Series racing from Richmond averaged a 2.3 rating and 3.96 million viewers on FOX last Sunday, up 15% in ratings and as much as 19% in viewership from last year (2.0, 3.32M) and the most-watched edition of the race since 2017 (4.58M). The previous day’s Xfinity Series race had a 0.53 and 833,000 on FS1; there was no equivalent race last year. … Penguins-Avalanche drew a 0.52 and 990,000 on ABC Hockey Saturday last weekend, the network’s top Saturday window in six weeks. The following day, TNT narrowly scored its top Sunday audience of the season with 349,000 for Islanders-Devils. The network’s Wednesday doubleheader of Lightning-Capitals and Flames-Ducks chipped in 368,000 and 134,000 viewers respectively. … Coverage of last week’s PGA Tour Texas Open averaged a 1.1 and 1.69 million on NBC last Saturday and a 1.45 and 2.32 million last Sunday, marking the least-watched third and final round of the tournament since 2014 (1.76M) and 2018 (2.27M), respectively. … The final round of last Saturday’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur averaged a 0.59 and 859,000 on NBC, marking the smallest final round audience in its three-year history.