Thanks to a late night timeslot, “Sunday Night Baseball” hit a season-low on ESPN last week. In other news, the PGA Tour Travelers Championship hit an eight-year high on CBS, and the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final were both trumped by the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Late Night Rangers/Cardinals Game Hits Low on ESPN
- The rain-delayed Rangers/Cardinals “Sunday Night Baseball” game earned a 0.7 U.S. rating and 1.0 million viewers on ESPN last weekend, the network’s lowest rated and least-viewed Sunday night telecast of the season. Considering the 11 PM ET start time — and the 2:09 AM ET finish — the numbers can be considered fairly solid. The previous season-low for “Sunday Night Baseball” was 1.2 million viewers for Braves/Mets on Memorial Day weekend. (Weekend numbers from Sports Business Daily)
Eight-Year High For PGA Travelers Championship
- Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Travelers Championship drew a 1.9 final rating on CBS last Sunday, up 19% from last year (1.6), and up 46% from 2011 (1.3). The 1.9 rating is the highest for final round coverage of the event since 2005 (2.2). On Saturday, third round action drew a 1.3 — up 18% from both last year and 2011 (1.1 both years). (Sports Business Daily)
NBA, NHL, Below Average in St. Louis
- The championship series of the NBA and NHL were both below average television draws in St. Louis. The Heat/Spurs NBA Finals averaged an 8.3 rating on St. Louis ABC affiliate KDNL, down 21% from the 10.5 national average. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks/Bruins Stanley Cup Final averaged a 2.9 on NBC affiliate KSDK, down 9% from the 3.3 national average. Both series were trounced by St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball games — in head-to-head meetings, the Cardinals beat the NBA Finals by 43% and the Stanley Cup Final by a whopping 395%. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
