NASCAR topped Sunday sports viewership for a third-straight week, though its Caitlin Clark lead-in was the bigger ratings headline.
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas averaged a 2.4 rating and 4.36 million viewers on FOX, up 10% in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year (2.2, 3.99M) and the second-straight race to post a year-over-year increase. Kyle Larson’s win was also the most-watched sporting event of the weekend, marking the third time in as many weeks this season that NASCAR has topped the charts. Keep in mind that is not at all unusual this time of year.
The NASCAR race was preceded by an Ohio State-Iowa women’s college basketball game at a 1.9 and 3.39 million, the largest regular season women’s audience since 1999. The Hawkeyes’ win, in which Clark set the all-time collegiate scoring record in her final regular season game, delivered the second-largest audience of the college basketball season, regardless of gender. Additional details are available here.
Shifting to the pro game, ABC averaged a 1.8 and 3.01 million for the Celtics’ 52-point rout of the Warriors — down 17% in ratings and 24% in viewership from Warriors-Lakers last year (2.1, 3.95M), but still the sixth-largest audience of the NBA season. Despite placing third among sportscasts overall, the lopsided affair was the day’s top program in adults 18-49 and 18-34 (including primetime broadcast television).
Sixers-Mavericks led in with a 1.1 and 1.74 million, down a third and 38% respectively from Suns-Mavericks a year ago (1.6, 2.81M). In primetime, ESPN drew a 0.8 and 1.53 million for Knicks-Cavaliers — down 29% from Knicks-Celtics last year (1.2, 2.15M) — and a 0.8 and 1.40 million for Thunder-Suns. The latter was the only game of the quadrupleheader to post an increase, rising 9 and 13 percent respectively from Grizzlies-Clippers last year (0.8, 1.25M).
Returning to the college ranks, CBS drew a 0.8 and 1.31 million for a Michigan-Ohio State men’s game — down 36% in ratings and 41% in viewership from Michigan-Indiana last year (1.2, 2.21M). Indiana-Maryland led in at a 0.7 and 1.06 million, up 23% and 21% respectively from last year’s MVC Championship (0.53, 876K), preceded by Seton Hall-UConn at a 0.7 (-7%) and 1.16 million (-5%).
Despite overlapping with the Caitlin Clark game, ESPN averaged a 0.39 and 679,000 for a Tennessee-South Carolina women’s matchup — the network’s fourth-largest audience for a women’s game this season. That was followed by Louisville-Notre Dame at a 0.22 and 356,000 and Duke-North Carolina at a 0.21 and 371,000. The comparable weekend last year featured stronger-performing conference championship games.
Beyond the hardwood, NBC averaged a 0.9 and 1.45 million for weather delay coverage of the PGA Tour event formerly known as the Honda Classic. The competing LIV Golf coverage on The CW had a 0.12 and 195,000. TNT drew a 0.15 and 283,000 for a Devils-Kings NHL regular season game, down from Lightning-Hurricanes last year (0.19, 377K).
Spanish-language coverage of the United States-Colombia Women’s Gold Cup match had a 0.10 and 257,000 on ESPN Deportes (English-language coverage aired on Paramount+, which is not Nielsen-rated). Mexico-Paraguay led-in with a 0.09 and 205,000.
The final day of the NFL Combine had a 0.11 and 192,000 on NFL Network, down from a 0.13 and 208,000 last year. It was preceded by a re-air of the previous day’s action at a 0.10 and 184,000. In women’s college gymnastics, Florida-Kentucky had a 0.06 and 109,000 on ESPN2.
Sunday, March 3 sports ratings
