First, the results of last week’s predictions.
Source: Sports Business Daily
* race was delayed from Sunday to Monday
| Sport | Game/Event | Net |
Prediction
|
Final rating
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming | FINA Swimming World Championships | NBC |
1.1 (Sat)
|
1.0 (Sat)
|
|
0.9 (Sun)
|
1.1 (Sun)
|
|||
| NBC’s coverage of the FINA Swimming World Championships drew a 1.0 rating on Saturday and a 1.1 on Sunday. NBC averaged a 1.0 rating for its three days of coverage of the World Championships. | ||||
| NASCAR | Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 | ESPN |
3.5
|
1.6*
|
| The rain-delayed Pennsylvania 500 drew a 1.6 U.S. rating on ESPN last Monday. | ||||
| PGA | Buick Open, Final Round | CBS |
3.4
|
3.7
|
| Yet again, Tiger Woods gave golf a boost in the ratings. The 3.7 for final round coverage of the Buick Open was the best for the event since ’06 — the last time Woods won the tournament. | ||||
| Golf | Women’s British Open, Final Round | ABC |
0.5
|
0.8
|
| The 0.8 rating for the final round of the Women’s British Open marks a 33% improvement over last year’s 0.6. | ||||
| MLB | Yankees/White Sox or other regional action | FOX |
2.2
|
1.8
|
| Regional MLB coverage drew a 1.8 rating on FOX last Saturday, off 18% from a 2.2 in ’08. This marks the 12th time this season that FOX has failed to draw even a 2.0 rating for MLB coverage. | ||||
| Extreme | X Games 15 | ABC |
0.9 (Sat)
|
0.9 (Sat)
|
|
1.0 (Sun)
|
0.9 (Sun)
|
|||
| Coverage of the X Games on ABC drew a 0.9 rating on both Saturday and Sunday, down 10% and 18%, respectively. | ||||
This week’s predictions:
| Sport | Game/Event | Date/Time | Net |
Prediction
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | Red Sox/Yankees or other regional action | 4 PM Saturday | FOX |
3.0
|
| On the heels of Friday’s 15-inning marathon, expect the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry to propel FOX to its best MLB rating of the season. Currently, the net’s highest rated game of the season is a Yankees/Red Sox game from May (2.7). | ||||
| MLB | Red Sox/Yankees | 8 PM Sunday | ESPN |
3.2
|
| Red Sox/Yankees should hold its own opposite the NFL Hall of Fame Game. The last time the rivals met on Sunday Night Baseball, the game drew a 3.0 U.S. rating. | ||||
| NFL | Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony | 7 PM Saturday | ESPN |
0.8
|
| With a later timeslot, ratings could rise slightly for the NFL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Last year’s event drew a 0.7 U.S. rating. | ||||
| NFL | Bills/Titans | 8 PM Sunday | NBC |
5.3
|
| NBC kicks off its post-John Madden NFL coverage with NFL Hall of Fame Game on Sunday night. With Terrell Owens making his Bills debut and curiosity over the new Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth booth, look for a solid increase in ratings over last year’s 4.7. | ||||
| Golf | WGC-Bridgestone Invitational | 2 PM Sunday | CBS |
3.2
|
| With Tiger Woods lurking behind leader Padraig Harrington, the Bridgestone Invitational should see a big boost in ratings on Sunday. Last year’s final round drew a 2.0 rating; in ’07, when Woods last won the event, final round coverage drew a 3.3. | ||||
| NASCAR | Heluva Good! at The Glen | 2 PM Sunday | ESPN |
3.3
|
| Coming off of last week’s rain-drenched Pennsylvania 500, NASCAR returns to ESPN with the Heluva Good! at The Glen. Last year’s race drew a 3.0 U.S. rating opposite the Olympics. Look for a rare increase in ratings for this year’s race. | ||||
