The NHL delivered its largest indoor audiences of the season on both broadcast and cable over the weekend. Plus: NASCAR hits a low at Phoenix; a viewership high for the World Baseball Classic; more gains for women’s college hoops.
Strong weekend for NHL on ABC, TNT
Red Wings-Bruins averaged a 0.66 rating and 1.14 million viewers and Flyers-Penguins a 0.59 and 1.04 million in the latest ABC Hockey Saturday NHL doubleheader, both up sharply from ABC’s lone game on the same weekend last year (Flyers-Hurricanes: 0.42, 743K). The Bruins’ win delivered the largest indoor audience of the season, surpassing the previous mark of 1.13 million for Rangers-Bruins the prior week.
Six of ABC’s nine NHL windows this season have topped the million viewer mark, compared to just two of nine last season.
On Sunday, TNT drew a 0.37 and 807,000 for Rangers-Penguins and a 0.24 and 403,000 for another Bruins-Red Wings matchup — both up from its solo Maple Leafs-Sabres game a year ago (0.21, 348K). Excluding outdoor games and Opening Night, Pittsburgh’s win delivered the largest regular season audience on cable in seven years.
Going back to last week, TNT drew a 0.23 and 370,000 (+28%) for Blackhawks-Red Wings and a 0.13 and 191,000 for Ducks-Canucks.
NASCAR Phoenix ratings hit low
NASCAR Cup Series racing from Phoenix averaged a 1.9 rating and 3.39 million viewers on FOX, down 17% in ratings and 15% in viewership from last year (2.3, 3.99M) and the lowest rated and least-watched edition of the spring race (dates back to 2005).
William Byron’s win ranked second among weekend sporting events behind the competing final round of The Players Championship on NBC (third if one counts the NCAA Tournament Selection Show as a sporting event).
WBC’s broadcast TV debut hits high
Saturday’s primetime Great Britain-United States World Baseball Classic game averaged an 0.8 rating and 1.48 million viewers on FOX, marking the largest audience for a group stage game 2009 — when ESPN drew 2.65 and 1.85 million for the first two U.S. games. It trails only those 2009 games as the most-watched group stage game in WBC history.
Keep in mind English-language coverage aired on MLB Network in the two intervening years, 2013 and 2017. As one would expect given the move from MLB Network to broadcast TV, viewership more-than-tripled the first U.S. game in 2017 (479K).
The subsequent U.S. games against Mexico on Sunday and Canada on Monday averaged 791,000 and 721,000 viewers on FS1 respectively, down 19% and 12% from the second and third games in 2017 (977K and 815K). The top non-U.S. match thus far was Colombia-Mexico on FOX Saturday afternoon, which drew 0.44 and 758,000.
Women’s Selection Show up double-digits
Sunday’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament selection show averaged 1.27 million viewers on ESPN, up 18% from last year (1.08M) and the highest for the event since 2005. Keep in mind coverage aired on a Monday prior to last year.
Shifting to conference tournament action, the Texas-Iowa State Big 12 Tournament final averaged a 0.19 rating and 343,000 viewers on ESPN2 earlier Sunday — more-than-doubling last year’s audience of 156,000 for Texas-Baylor.
Going back further, the March 6 UConn-Villanova Big East Tournament final drew a 0.18 and 318,000 on FS1 — up a tick and 15% respectively from the same matchup last year (0.17, 277K).
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.14, network PR)
