The two-game College World Series final had mixed results on ESPN. In other news, ESPN and ESPN2 have had substantial gains for the 2013 Confederations Cup, and NBA TV saw a boost for studio coverage of the NBA Finals.
College World Series Final Mixed on ESPN
- Game 2 of the UCLA/Mississippi St. College World Series final drew 1.3 million viewers on ESPN Tuesday night, down 37% from Arizona/South Carolina Game 2 last year (2.1M), and down 41% from South Carolina/Florida Game 2 in 2011 (2.2M). UCLA’s series-clinching win earned the smallest audience for any game of the CWS final since South Carolina/UCLA Game 1 in 2010 (1.2M). On Monday, Game 1 of the series earned 1.6 million viewers — up 7% from last year’s opener on ESPN2 (1.5M), but down 28% from 2011 (2.2M). (The Futon Critic [1], [2])
Confederations Cup Up on ESPN, ESPN2
- ESPN and ESPN2 averaged a 0.3 U.S. rating and 485,000 viewers for the group stage of the 2013 Confederations Cup, flat in ratings and up 26% in viewership from 2009 (0.3, 384K). That is in addition to the 1.4 million viewers Univision and UniM?s averaged for group play. The top match of the tournament so far on ESPN/ESPN2 was Saturday’s Italy/Brazil match (0.6, 933K). (ESPN Media Zone)
NBA TV Sees Boost For NBA Finals Studio Shows
- NBA TV averaged 186,000 viewers for pre-and-postgame editions of the “NBA Gametime” studio show during the Heat/Spurs NBA Finals, up 28% from last year. The shows delivered the highest average for such coverage on NBA TV since the network became Nielsen-rated in 2010. (Turner Sports)
