Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
Basketball.
4.8/11: NBA on ABC, Jazz/Lakers (3:30 PM Sunday)
4.2/11: NBA on ABC, Hawks/Celtics (1 PM Sunday)
1.9/5: NBA Countdown on ABC (12:30 PM Sunday)
- Game sevens, no matter how uncompetitive, are always a big draw — especially when they involve the most storied team in the NBA. The 4.2/11 overnight for Game 7 between the Hawks and Celtics marks a 40% jump over the 3.0 for Nets/Cavaliers Game 1 last year.
- For the first time in four years, the biggest draw in the NBA is in the second round. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Utah Jazz drew a 4.8 overnight rating, up 7% from last year, and the highest NBA Playoff overnight since 2006.
Horse racing.
9.5/21: Kentucky Derby on NBC, race portion (5:45 PM Saturday)
7.9/18: Kentucky Derby on NBC, total coverage (5 PM Saturday)
1.1/3: Rolex Equestrian Championships on NBC (5 PM Sunday)
- Ratings for the Kentucky Derby were down slightly from last year. Coverage of the race itself was off 3%, while NBC’s total coverage was down 5%.
Golf.
1.8/4: PGA on CBS, Wachovia Championship, Final Round (3 PM Sunday)
1.4/3: PGA on CBS, Wachovia Championship, Third Round (3 PM Saturday)
- Perhaps the PGA Tour would be better off simply canceling tournaments in which Tiger Woods does not play. CBS averaged a 1.6 overnight for two days of coverage of the Wachovia Championships, down 48% from last year, when Woods won the event.
Other.
4.2/8: NASCAR on FOX, Dan Lowry 400 (8 PM Saturday)
2.2/5: MLB on FOX, regional action (3:30 PM Saturday)
1.5/4: NHL on NBC, Rangers/Penguins (2 PM Sunday)
1.3/4: Poker on NBC, National Heads-Up Poker Championship (12 PM Sunday)
0.7/2: Monster Energy AMA Supercross on CBS, Year in Review (12 PM Sunday)
- Two of the biggest draws in hockey combined to give NBC its biggest playoff overnight. The 1.5 for the Penguins’ overtime, series-clinching victory over the Rangers marks a 7% increase over the comparable Sabres/Rangers Game 6 last year.
- Ratings for the Dan Lowry 400 were up 2% from last year, when the race — then known as the Jim Stewart 400 — was forced to air on a Sunday due to rain.
- Another week of declining ratings for baseball on FOX. Regional action drew a 2.2 overnight, down 12% from a 2.5 last year.
