The NBA took top honors on a quiet Friday night in sports television.
Friday’s Bucks-Timberwolves and Cavaliers-Sixers NBA regular season games each averaged 1.20 million viewers on ESPN, marking the two largest sports audiences of the day. Viewership increased 7 and 9 percent respectively from last year’s doubleheader of Thunder-Suns and Heat-Bucks (1.13 and 1.10 million).
No other live sporting event managed to crack the 400,000 viewer mark, with a Padres-Dodgers MLB Spring Training game ranking third at 392,000 on ESPN.
Further down the dial, NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series qualifying averaged 285,000 and 209,000 viewers respectively on FS1. Second round coverage of the PGA Tour Mexico Open averaged 202,000 on Golf Channel, down 27% from last year — when the tournament took place in April (275K). An LSU-Florida women’s college gymnastics meet chipped in 131,000 on ESPN2, far outpacing session one of the Big Ten “Big Five” meet on BTN at just 31,000. Notre Dame-Michigan hockey led out of the latter with 52,000.
There was scarcely any college basketball on Nielsen-rated TV Friday, as Nevada-San Jose State topped a light night with 107,000 on FS1. Duqeunse-Fordham had 92,000 on ESPN2 — losing much of its gymnastics lead-in — and Toledo-Bowling Green placed third with just 57,000 on ESPNU.
In soccer, an Argentina-United States Women’s Gold Cup match averaged 97,000 on ESPN Deportes. English-language coverage aired on Paramount+, which is not Nielsen-rated. PPA Tour pickleball drew 85,000 on FS1.
Friday, February 23 sports ratings
Updated chart:
Original chart below, including WWE Smackdown:
