Overnight ratings for sporting events on broadcast.
Sources: Sports Business Daily, jayski.com
Ratings for several events unavailable.
Basketball.
3.8: (NBA) Lakers/Suns (Sun., 3/1/09, 3:30 PM ABC)
2.8: (NBA) Pistons/Celtics (Sun., 3/1/09, 1 PM ABC)
1.8: NBA Countdown (Sun., 3/1/09, 12:30 PM ABC)
1.7/4: (NCAAB) Notre Dame/Connecticut (Sat., 2/28/09, 2 PM CBS)
1.3/3: (NCAAB) LSU/Kentucky (Sat., 2/28/09, 4 PM CBS)
1.3/3: (NCAAB) Georgia Tech/North Carolina (Sat., 2/28/09, 12 PM CBS)
1.3: (NCAAB) Regional action (Sat., 2/28/09, 3:30 PM ABC)
- The 3.8 overnight for the Suns’ win over the Lakers on Sunday was up 12% increase from a 3.4 for Mavericks/Lakers in ’08, and marks the fourth-highest overnight for a regular season NBA game on ABC (excluding Christmas) since the net began airing games in 2002. Earlier Sunday, Pistons/Celtics drew a 2.8 overnight, up 22% from a 2.3 for last year’s comparable Bulls/Cavaliers tilt.
- Ratings were mixed for college basketball on CBS last Saturday. The 1.7 overnight for Notre Dame/Connecticut was up 13% from a 1.5 for last year’s comparable Georgetown/Marquette tilt. Meanwhile, the 1.3 for Georgia Tech/UNC was down 19% from Duke/NC State in ’08, while the 1.3 for LSU/Kentucky was flat from last year’s comparable regional coverage. Overall, CBS averaged a 1.4 overnight for its college basketball tripleheader on Saturday, down 7% from last year. Ratings for the network’s tripleheader on Sunday are unavailable.
- The 1.3 for ABC’s lone college basketball telecast last weekend was off 7% from a 1.4 for last year’s comparable UNC/Boston College game.
Auto racing.
5.5/10: (NASCAR) Shelby 427 (Sun., 3/1/09 FOX)
- The 5.5 overnight for Sunday’s Shelby 427 marks a 13% drop from a 6.2 for the same race in ’08. All three NASCAR races on FOX this season have seen a double-digit drop in overnight ratings.
Golf.
2.0: (PGA) Accenture Match Play Championship, Finals (Sun., 3/1/09, 2 PM NBC)
1.7: (PGA) Accenture Match Play Championship, Semifinals (Sat., 2/28/09, 2 PM NBC)
- Once again, ratings for televised golf suffered in Tiger Woods‘ absence — though due to Woods’ second-round ouster from Tim Clark, not injury. The 2.0 rating for the final round of the Accenture Match Play Championship was off 43% from a 3.5 last year, and marks the lowest overnight for the final round of the tournament since 2002.
