Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
Sources: Sports Business Daily, jayski.com
Football.
5.8/11: NFL on NBC, Pro Bowl (4:30 PM Sunday)
- The 5.8 overnight for Sunday’s Pro Bowl on NBC was off 16% from a 6.9 for last year’s game on FOX. Still, the 5.8 was the highest overnight rating for any sporting event over the weekend.
Basketball.
5.0: NBA on ABC, Lakers/Cavaliers (3:30 PM Sunday)
3.0: NBA on ABC, Spurs/Celtics (1 PM Sunday)
1.3: NBA Countdown on ABC (12:30 PM Sunday)
0.8/2: College basketball on CBS, Purdue/Illinois, (1 PM Sunday)
0.8/2: College basketball on CBS, regional (1 PM Saturday)
0.7: College basketball on ABC, regional (3:30 PM Saturday)
- Two of the best NBA players in recent memory helped give ABC a major boost in the ratings. The 5.0 overnight for the Lakers’ win over the Cavaliers on Sunday was up 73% from a 2.9 for Lakers/Heat in ’08, and marks the best overnight rating for a non-Christmas regular season game since ABC took over NBA rights in ’02.
- Ratings also increased for Sunday’s undercard. The Spurs’ win over the Celtics drew a 3.0 overnight, up 15% from a 2.6 for the same match-up last year.
- College basketball had a rough weekend. Games on CBS Saturday and Sunday were down 50% and 38%, respectively, from last year’s comparable games. Meanwhile, ABC’s lone telecast on Saturday was off 36% from last year.
Auto racing.
4.1/7: NASCAR on FOX, Budweiser Shootout (8 PM Saturday)
2.1/5: NASCAR on FOX, Daytona 500 Pole Qualifying (1 PM Sunday)
- NASCAR stumbled out of the gate, as ratings for both the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500 Pole Qualifying dipped from last year. The 4.1 for Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout marks a 9% decline from a 4.5 in ’08. Meanwhile, the 2.1 for pole qualifying on Sunday was off 22% from last year’s 2.7.
Golf.
2.1/4: PGA on CBS, Buick Invitational, Final Round (3 PM Sunday)
1.5/4: PGA on CBS, Buick Invitational, Third Round (3 PM Saturday)
- Sans Tiger Woods, ratings plunged for the Buick Invitational. The 1.5 for third round coverage on Saturday was down 53% from a 3.2 in ’08. Final round coverage saw a steeper decline, as the 2.1 overnight was off 54% from a 4.6 last year.
Skiing.
1.0/2: World Skiing Championships on NBC (3 PM Sunday, taped)
0.9/2: Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest on CBS (12 PM Sunday, taped)
0.7/2: World Skiing Championships on NBC (2 PM Saturday, taped)
0.7/2: USSA Skiing on NBC, Visa Frees3tyle International (3 PM Saturday, taped)
- Four separate taped skiing contests on CBS and NBC averaged a 0.8 overnight rating over the weekend, the same average as three college basketball games on CBS and ABC.
Other.
1.2/3: Figure Skating on NBC, Amway Global Skate for the Heart (4 PM Saturday, taped)
1.1/3: NHL on NBC, Red Wings/Penguins (12:30 PM Sunday)
- Though Red Wings/Penguins was not the highest rated on-ice sporting event on NBC last weekend, topped by taped figure skating on Saturday, the 1.1 for the Red Wings’ win over the Penguins marks a 22% increase over a 0.9 for last year’s Ducks/Red Wings game.
