Ratings roundup — the WNBA hit multiple multi-year highs during its regular season; IndyCar had its most-watched season in years; FOX scored a modest bump for MLB opposite Thursday Night Football; and more.
WNBA sees viewership highs for regular season
The WNBA regular season averaged 505,000 viewers across ESPN, ABC and CBS, up 21% from last season (379K) and the league’s highest average since 2002, the final year of the its original TV deal with NBC. This season included 14 games on broadcast television (10 on ABC and four on CBS), up from last year (11) and the most in league history.
Games on the ESPN networks averaged 440,000 viewers, the highest since 2006, with ABC in particular averaging 627,000 — the highest since 2012, when the network carried just one game.
NBA TV also had its most-watched season in four years, averaging 46,000 viewers (+10%).
Shifting to the playoffs, Wednesday’s Sky-Aces Game 1 averaged 373,000 viewers on ESPN, down 6% from Mercury-Aces last year (398K). Lynx-Sun averaged 295,000 in the early window, up 2% from Liberty-Sky a year ago (288K). The games were decided by 28 and 30 points, respectively.
IndyCar season is most-watched in years; NASCAR down at Kansas
The IndyCar season averaged 1.32 million viewers on the NBC family of networks (including an average streaming audience of 58,000 as measured by Adobe Analytics), up 2% from last year (1.30M) and the most-watched campaign since 2011 (1.39M). Eight races topped the million viewer mark, tied with last year as the most since 2008, the last time races aired on ESPN. Viewership increased from last season despite one fewer race airing on the NBC broadcast network (13).
Last weekend’s season finale from Laguna Seca averaged a 0.34 rating and 538,000 viewers, up 7% and 6% respectively from last year (0.32, 507K).
In other action last weekend, NASCAR Cup Series playoff racing from Kansas pulled a 1.0 and 1.76 million on USA Network — down 6% from last year (1.1, 1.88M) and the smallest audience for the race since at least 2001.
FOX scores MLB bump opposite TNF
Facing Thursday Night Football, regional Major League Baseball action (Orioles-Rays or Yankees-Red Sox) averaged a 1.0 rating and 1.68 million viewers on FOX Thursday night — up 5% in ratings and viewership from last year (0.95, 1.60M).
Also facing NFL action, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball (Rockies-Giants) pulled a 0.34 and 640,000 last weekend, on par with last year (Giants-Cubs: 0.35, 634K). Including ESPN Deportes (0.02, 39K), the game averaged a 0.36 and 679,000.
In other action, TBS drew a 0.27 and 430,000 for Yankees-Red Sox on Tuesday — down 37% and 36% respectively from the same matchup last year. Neither team is expected to make the playoffs.
Volleyball viewership spikes on ESPN
ESPN averaged its two largest regular season college volleyball audiences on record this week, scoring 466,000 viewers for Nebraska-Stanford on Tuesday and 318,000 for Kentucky-Louisville on Wednesday. The all-time record for a regular season match remains 518,000 for Omaha-Nebraska on BTN earlier this season, a match that took place in Nebraska’s football stadium.
For more ratings, see the weekly chart. Nielsen estimates from WNBA 9.13, ESPN PR, Sports TV Ratings 9.14, Programming Insider 9.13, 9.15)
