Viewership dipped for the NBA regular season; the XFL topped the million viewer mark for another ABC game; NASCAR posted another double-digit decline; and more.
NBA regular season viewership dips
NBA regular season games averaged 1.6 million viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT this season, down slightly (a total of 21,000 viewers) from last year. (Stay tuned for a fuller analysis of NBA ratings this season.)
In the regular season finale, Jazz-Lakers averaged a 0.75 rating and 1.66 million viewers on ESPN Sunday afternoon — up 47% in ratings and 84% in viewership from Pacers-Nets in the same window last year, which did not coincide with the Easter holiday (0.51, 903K). The Hawks-Celtics lead-in averaged a 0.55 and 988,000; there was no comparable window last year.
XFL tops million viewer mark again with another ABC game
Sunday’s Houston-San Antonio XFL regular season game averaged a 0.52 rating and 1.01 million viewers on ABC, marking the second-largest XFL audience since Week 1. ABC drew 1.05 million for Seattle-Orlando two weeks ago. Four of ABC’s five XFL windows this season have crossed the million viewer threshold.
On Saturday, ESPN drew a 0.46 and 868,000 for Vegas-St. Louis — the largest XFL cable audience since Week 1. The Arlington-Orlando game that followed chipped in a 0.36 and 679,000. ESPN2 rounded out the week eight schedule with a 0.28 and 487,000 for DC-Seattle on Sunday night, its largest XFL audience since Week 4 (Vegas-DC: 691K).
NASCAR sees another double-digit ratings drop at Bristol
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series dirt race from Bristol averaged a 1.9 rating and 3.45 million viewers on FOX, down 14% in ratings and viewership from last year (2.2, 4.01M). All eight Cup Series races this season have declined from last year, with the past six down double-figures.
The decline came despite far lighter competition than a year ago, when the race aired opposite the NBA Playoffs. There were no competing NBA games this time around.
Despite the decline, the race ranks as the most-watched since Las Vegas in early March. In addition, it was Sunday’s top program in each of the key young adult demographics, excluding the Masters and its “60 Minutes” lead-out.
Plus: WNBA Draft, UFC, MLB
Monday’s WNBA Draft averaged 572,000 viewers on ESPN, the largest audience for the event in 19 years (2004: 601K). Viewership increased 42% over the previous high set last year (403K) and outpaced the NHL regular season game that followed (Wild-Blackhawks: 430K). … Saturday’s UFC 287 prelims averaged a 0.6 and 1.12 million on ESPN, down from the previous PPV prelims on linear TV last month (1.23M). … Padres-Braves scored a 0.7 and 1.43 million on the latest edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball and Rangers-Cubs a 0.29 and 493,000 on FS1 Saturday. The comparable weekend last year was the first of the lockout-shortened season.
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 4.11)
