Overnight ratings increased substantially for Sidney Crosby‘s first appearance on NBC this season. Meanwhile, ABC saw double-digit declines for tennis’ BNP Paribas Open, and college basketball’s ‘Championship Week’ was off double-digits from last year’s record numbers.
- Crosby’s First NBC Game of the Season Earns 1.0 Overnight: Sunday’s Penguins/Flyers NHL regular season game drew a 1.0 overnight rating on NBC, up 43% from Rangers/Penguins last year (0.7), and up 43% from Rangers/Bruins in 2010 (0.7). The 1.0 overnight is tied as the highest for the NHL on NBC opposite the NCAA Tournament since 2007 (1.1). (Puck the Media)
- Big Declines For BNP Paribas Open on ABC: Coverage of the Men’s and Women’s Finals at tennis’ BNP Paribas Open drew a 0.7 overnight rating on ABC Sunday afternoon, down 46% from last year (1.3). On Saturday, coverage of the Men’s Semifinals earned a 0.6 overnight on ABC, down 33% from last year (0.9). (ESPN)
- ESPN’s Championship Week Viewership Drops: Coverage of college basketball ‘Championship Week’ averaged 1.3 million viewers on ESPN (20 telecasts), down 13% from last year (1.486M), and on par with 2010 (1.344M). Keep in mind last year was the most-viewed ‘Championship Week’ ever on ESPN. (ESPN)
