The first weekend of April was nothing to write home about for the NBA, NHL, MLB and PGA Tour.
Ratings for an NBA doubleheader on ABC, the NHL on NBC, the season debut of MLB on FOX and the PGA Tour on NBC were all down from last year — including the lowest NHL on NBC rating of the season and a surprisingly low number for a Western Conference showdown.
Mainstream America showed it was not quite ready for the Warriors and Hornets to be a main attraction on broadcast TV. The entertaining game between Golden State and New Orleans drew a 1.4 rating, down 22% from the comparable Heat/Pistons slugfest last year. The Hornets other ABC game this season, against the Pistons on March 16, drew a relatively low 1.8 overnight rating. ABC may be hesitant to put them on the schedule next season.
The second game of ABC’s NBA doubleheader also fell in the ratings. Mavericks/Suns drew a 2.2, down 8% from a 2.4 for the same game last year. That decrease had to be expected; when Dallas played Phoenix last year, they were the two best teams in the league and had just come off a classic double overtime battle weeks earlier.
The season debut of MLB on FOX also saw an 8% drop in the ratings. Regional action, featuring Mets at Braves, drew a 2.2 rating — down from a 2.4 for comparable coverage last year.
The NBA and MLB were not alone in putting up mediocre numbers. The NHL drew its lowest rating ever on NBC. Blackhawks/Red Wings put up a 0.6 rating, tied as the lowest rated live sporting event of the weekend with an American Le Mans Series race — and only slightly ahead of the 0.5 for Dick Vitale’s All-American Special on ABC. Obviously, much of the low rating can be attributed to the fact that the game had no bearing on playoff standings whatsoever — Detroit was locked into the best record in the league, and Chicago was already mathematically eliminated.
Without Tiger Woods, golf also saw its ratings decline last weekend. The Shell Houston Open drew final national ratings of 1.1 on Saturday and 1.5 on Sunday — down 21% and 12%, respectively, from last year.
Combined, the NBA, NHL, MLB and PGA Tour put up a 9.0 rating last weekend. By comparison, the college basketball National Championship Game drew a 12.1.
