Ratings roundup — the Women’s College World Series is down from last year’s record-pace; the French Open women’s final hit a four-year high; the PGA Tour Memorial Tournament hit lows; and more.
WCWS viewership down double-digits from last year’s record
Coverage of the Women’s College World Series averaged 941,000 viewers through Monday, down 14% from last year’s record-high (1.09M). Monday’s primetime Texas-Oklahoma State games rank as the most-watched of the tournament thus far with 1.30 and 1.26 million viewers on ESPN, both down from a solo Florida State-Alabama game last year (1.63M*).
In the afternoon, Oklahoma-UCLA drew 703,000 and 1.04 million viewers — both trailing last year’s solo Oklahoma-James Madison game (1.31M*).
Shifting to the weekend, ABC drew a 0.7 rating and 1.25 million for Texas-Oklahoma on Saturday and a 0.7 and 1.06 million for UCLA-Florida on Sunday. On the same weekend last year, three games topped the 1.3 million mark, including James Madison-Oklahoma at 1.56 million.* Six games have topped the million viewer mark thus far, but that is actually one fewer than last year.
American presence lifts French Open women’s final
French Open coverage featuring the Iga Swiatek-Coco Gauff women’s final averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.05 million viewers on NBC last Saturday, marking the largest audience for the telecast of the women’s final in four years (2018 Simona Halep-Sloane Stephens: 1.45M).
The following day, coverage featuring the Rafael Nadal-Casper Ruud men’s final averaged a 0.95 and 1.49 million — the least-watched telecast of the men’s final in at least a decade, and almost certainly further back. Even in the months-delayed tournament of two years ago, the men’s final (Nadal-Novak Djokovic) averaged 1.58 million.*
Figures for the individual matches, as opposed to the full telecast windows, were not available.
Memorial Tournament ratings, viewership, hit lows
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Memorial tournament averaged a 1.4 rating and 2.32 million viewers on CBS last Sunday, marking the lowest rated final round of the event since rain-affected coverage in 2011 (1.3) and the least-watched since at least 2013. Third round action the previous day drew a 1.1 and 1.78 million, the lowest rated in at least 25 years and the least-watched since 2015 (1.69M).
In other weekend golf action, the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open averaged 821,000 viewers on NBC — down at least 30% from last year (1.17M*).
Going back to last week, the latest edition of the exhibition series “The Match” averaged a combined 1.45 million across TNT, TruTV and HLN last Wednesday.
Plus: NASCAR, IndyCar, MLB, PTI
The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race from Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis averaged a 1.5 rating and 2.50 million viewers on FS1, flat in ratings and up 5% in viewership from last year’s inaugural race at Circuit of the Americas (1.5, 2.4M). … Sunday’s IndyCar Series Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix drew a 0.23 and 354,000 on USA Network, comfortably above the network’s previous IndyCar telecast, a Friday afternoon race from Indianapolis Motor Speedway two years ago (221K*). … The latest edition of MLB on FOX averaged a 1.1 and 1.81 million and ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball (Cardinals-Cubs) a 0.7 and 1.29 million, both down sharply from windows that featured Red Sox-Yankees last year (1.5, 2.68M*; 1.05, 1.79M*). … ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption is averaging 692,000 viewers so far this year, an increase of 11% from a year ago. Its lead-in Around the Horn is averaging 484,000 (+23%).
(Asterisk * indicates figure is subject to revision due to Nielsen undercount.)
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 6.7, network PR]
