- The ratings for the NHL on NBC are low enough to warrant serious questions about the league’s viability on network television. Rangers/Flyers last Sunday averaged a 0.8 rating, down 33% from a 1.2 for regional action last year. Since the Winter Classic, NBC has drawn ratings of 0.8, 0.8, 0.8, 0.7 and 0.8 for five NHL telecasts. On the bright side, while ratings are down, viewership is up 26%.
- Pistons/Celtics Round III was a big deal in Boston and Detroit, as both markets drew their highest ratings for a local NBA game in ten years. In Boston, where ratings for Celtics games are up 107%, the game drew a 5.7 on Comcast SportsNet New England, the best ever for the network. In Detroit, where ratings are up 36%, the game drew a 10.8 rating on TV20. One reason the ratings were so strong in both markets is that the game did not air on national television, meaning viewers had only one network on which to watch the game.
- Women’s college basketball performed well for ESPN2 this season. Ratings for games in prime time were up by a third, including a 67% jump for Big Monday telecasts. The increase in ratings can be attributed to several strong match-ups; last Monday, Connecticut/Rutgers drew a 0.6, and a Tennessee/Rutgers game last month matched that number. Overall, women’s college basketball averaged a 0.3 rating this season, flat from last year, with a 20% jump in total viewers.
Link to Detroit Free Press article provided by anonymous.
