The NBA on ABC topped a crowded Saturday of live sports.
Saturday’s Suns-Warriors NBA regular season game averaged a 1.5 rating and 2.57 million viewers on ABC, down 12% in ratings and 16% in viewership from Lakers-Warriors on the same night last year (1.7, 3.05M). (Versus the equivalent date of last season, February 4, ratings increased 15% and viewership 9% from a 1.3 and 2.36 million for Mavericks-Warriors.)
Golden State’s win, clinched on a last-second three by Stephen Curry, was the most-watched sporting event of the day.
Placing a not-so-distant second, a Gonzaga-Kentucky men’s college basketball game had a 1.3 and 2.31 million on CBS — the fifth-largest college basketball audience of the season. The Bulldogs’ win was preceded by Illinois-Michigan State at a 0.8 and 1.34 million. Both games outdrew the lone CBS window last year (Kansas-Oklahoma: 0.7, 1.18M), which aired in an earlier window to accommodate the network’s Phoenix Open golf commitments.
Speaking of the Phoenix Open, third round action ranked third for the day with a 1.0 and 1.7 million — down 37% and 32% respectively from last year (1.6, 2.54M) and the tournament’s smallest third round audience in more than a decade. The competing LIV Golf telecast from Las Vegas averaged a 0.18 and 297,000 on The CW.
Returning to the hardwood, ESPN suffered double-digit declines for four of its six college basketball windows. Kansas-Baylor scored a 0.8 (-18%) and 1.43 million (-15%), preceded by North Carolina-Miami at a 0.6 (-39%) and 1.05 million (-40%), Boston College-Duke at a 0.45 (-40%) and 796,000 (-42%) and Alabama-LSU at a 0.40 (-33%) and 677,000 (-40%). Tennessee-Texas A&M averaged a 0.53 and 961,000 in primetime — there was no game last year due to the UFC — and Arizona-Colorado rounded out day with an increase at a 0.30 (+11%) and 551,000 (+19%).
Over on FOX, Purdue’s primetime rout of Indiana led the way with a 0.6 and 1.20 million. The network did not carry a primetime game on the same day last year. Earlier in the day, Creighton-Xavier drew a 0.31 and 661,000 and UCLA-Cal a 0.31 and 505,000, with a Villanova-Marquette women’s game sandwiched between at a 0.24 and 381,000.
Shifting to the NHL, ABC averaged a 0.48 and 901,000 for Capitals-Bruins — down 26% and 19% respectively from the same matchup last year (0.65, 1.11M) — and a 0.41 (+3%) and 709,000 (+5%) for Blues-Sabres. In additional NBA action, Thunder-Mavericks drew a 0.13 and 256,000 on NBA TV.
Saturday, February 10 sports ratings
