The Masters unsurprisingly topped the sports ratings charts for Saturday, April 13.
Saturday’s third round of the Masters averaged a 3.7 rating and 6.60 million viewers on CBS, easily the most-watched sporting event of the day. Ratings and viewership increased sharply from last year’s rainout coverage (2.2, 3.80M), but declined from the last time the third round was played as scheduled two years ago (6.60M). For more details on ratings for the Masters, see the preceding link.
In a rarity, the UFC placed second for the day as ESPN averaged a 0.9 and 1.86 million for UFC 300 prelims — the largest single-network UFC audience since the series debuted on ESPN in 2019 (1.96M). Early prelims led in with a 0.6 and 1.21 million.
ESPN’s UFC coverage comfortably outdrew ABC’s competing NHL regular season game between the Bruins and Penguins, which averaged a 0.7 and 1.19 million — down 3% in ratings and 15% in viewership from Devils-Bruins last year (0.7, 1.40M). That was the final game of a tripleheader that also included Islanders-Rangers at a 0.51 (-4%) and 877,000 (-11%) and Kraken-Stars at a mere 0.34 (-32%) and 584,000 (-32%).
The latter game tied the second-lowest NHL rating ever on broadcast television, surpassing only NBC’s regular season finale three years ago (0.31).
The declines were not limited to professional hockey. The Denver-Boston College NCAA men’s hockey final averaged a 0.23 and 458,000 on ESPN2, down 43% in both measures from Quinnipiac-Minnesota last year (0.40, 808K) but up from Denver’s previous win over Minnesota State two years ago (0.21, 404K). The game aired in an earlier 6 PM ET window this year.
In other collegiate action, FOX drew a 0.41 and 660,000 for the Ohio State spring football game — the first such game to air on broadcast television. Not surprisingly, it drew the largest audience for a spring football game on any network since Alabama’s 2016 A-Day on ESPN (751K).
This year’s Alabama spring game pulled a 0.24 and 482,000 on ESPN later in the day, preceded by another form of spring football — the UFL — at a 0.32 and 534,000 for DC-Arlington. In other UFL action, a primetime Memphis-Birmingham matchup drew a 0.51 and 837,000 on FOX.
In soccer, a Manchester United-Bournemouth English Premier League match averaged a combined 0.50 and 905,000 across NBC (0.48, 857K) and Universo (0.02, 48K). FOX drew a mere 0.13 and 196,000 for a Timbers-LAFC MLS match, the smallest sports audience on the “Big Four” broadcast networks since a Cadiz-Real Madrid La Liga match on ABC drew 118,000 opposite the NFL in November. The NWSL on ION was not far behind with a 0.12 and 179,000 for San Diego-Louisville, with the Angel City-Chicago nightcap further back at a 0.08 and 126,000.
Moving to the diamond, a Rangers-Astros Major League Baseball game drew a 0.22 and 380,000 on FS1, while MLB Network had a 0.11 and 188,000 for primetime regional action. ESPN2 drew a 0.11 and 181,000 for a Baylor-Texas college softball game, preceded by Texas A&M-Alabama at a 0.09 and 145,000. The same network drew a 0.08 and 147,000 for a Mississippi State-Mississippi college baseball game in primetime.
Saturday, April 13 sports ratings
