The NBA Finals dominated sports viewing for Sunday, June 9, and scored its top Game 2 audience in five years.
Sunday’s Mavericks-Celtics NBA Finals Game 2 averaged a 6.2 rating and 12.31 million viewers on ABC, marking the largest audience for Game 2 of the Finals since 2019. Viewership increased 3% from Game 2 both last year and in 2022. For more on the NBA numbers, see this article.
Outside of the NBA, NASCAR topped the day in sports viewing with a 1.6 and 2.90 million for Cup Series racing from Sonoma (Ca.) on FOX, the final Cup Series race on Fox Sports this season. Kyle Larson’s win declined a tick in ratings and 1% in viewership from last year (1.7, 2.91M). For more on NASCAR viewership, see this article.
In a rarity, NASCAR, IndyCar and F1 all went head-to-head on broadcast television Sunday. The Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix scored 1.8 million on ABC, the largest live audience ever for the race. Max Verstappen’s win increased 2% from the previous record set last season (1.76M). IndyCar from Road America placed a distant third with a 0.52 and 863,000 on NBC.
Placing third for the day, final round coverage of the PGA Tour Memorial tournament drew a 1.7 and 2.86 million on CBS — down from last year’s 1.9 and 3.12 million. LIV Golf on CW chipped in a 0.09 and 148,000.
Shifting to Major League Baseball, the final game of the Dodgers-Yankees series drew a 1.2 and 2.30 million on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball — the most-watched MLB regular season game on ESPN in more than two years, since the opening weekend of the 2022 season. ESPN also drew a 0.7 and 1.36 million for the finale of the Mets-Phillies London Series on Sunday morning. Viewership for the games increased 18 and 17 percent respectively from last year. For more on the weekend MLB ratings, see this article.
In tennis, the five-set Carlos Alcaraz-Alexander Zverev French Open men’s final — the final French Open match on NBC for the foreseeable future — averaged a 1.0 and 1.62 million, up from Novak Djokovic-Casper Ruud last year (0.9, 1.56M) and the most-watched in three years. That led into track and field’s NYC Grand Prix at a 0.9 and 1.37 million, up sharply from last year’s 0.53 and 839,000.
Despite facing the NBA Finals, the UFL’s XFL Conference Championship between San Antonio and St. Louis drew a 0.7 and 1.27 million on FOX — the league’s second-largest audience this season. A St. Louis-Michigan game on the opening day of play in March averaged 1.35 million.
The ESPN portion of the Clemson-Florida NCAA baseball super regional game averaged a 0.6 and 1.18 million. ESPN had to bow out of coverage at 7 PM ET due to its Sunday Night Baseball commitments. Overflow coverage on ESPNU, which overlapped with ESPN’s coverage for a full hour, averaged a 0.23 and 445,000. That led into Evansville-Tennessee at a 0.21 and 397,000. Those are the two largest audiences on ESPNU, in any sport, over the past year. ESPNU also drew a 0.15 and 257,000 for Kentucky-Oregon State in a late night window.
In other Super Regional action, ESPN2 drew a 0.25 and 456,000 for Texas A&M-Oregon and a 0.24 and 405,000 for Georgia-NC State.
Sunday, June 9 sports ratings
