First, the results of last week’s predictions.
Source: Sports Business Daily
| Sport | Game/Event | Net |
Prediction
|
Final rating
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | Red Sox/Yankees or other regional action | FOX |
3.0
|
2.7
|
| The 2.7 final rating for last Saturday’s Red Sox/Yankees tilt on FOX was up 29% from last year’s comparable telecast, and tied a Red Sox/Yankees game from April as the highest rated MLB telecast of the season on FOX. | ||||
| MLB | Red Sox/Yankees | ESPN |
3.2
|
3.0
|
| ESPN drew a 3.0 U.S. rating for Red Sox/Yankees last Sunday night, up 67% from Cardinals/Cubs on the comparable date in ’08. The game drew 4.7 million viewers, the most for an MLB telecast on ESPN since ’07. | ||||
| NFL | Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony | ESPN |
0.8
|
0.6
|
| The 0.6 U.S. rating for last Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was down 14% from a 0.7 last year. | ||||
| NFL | Bills/Titans | NBC |
5.3
|
4.9
|
| On a weekend featuring Tiger Woods and the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry, an NFL preseason game topped the ratings. The 4.9 for the NFL Hall of Fame Game was up 4% from a 4.7 last year, and easily topped Red Sox/Yankees on FOX and ESPN (2.7 and 3.0, respectively), and the final round of Tiger Woods‘ win at the Bridgestone Invitational (4.3). | ||||
| Golf | WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Final Round | CBS |
3.2
|
4.3
|
| Tiger Woods’ fifth PGA victory of the season drew a 4.3 rating last Sunday, up a whopping 105% from last year’s 2.1. Of Woods’ five victories, four have had final round ratings increase by at least 100%. | ||||
| NASCAR | Heluva Good! at the Glen | ESPN |
3.3
|
n/a
|
| For the second straight week, rain postponed NASCAR from Sunday to Monday. | ||||
This week’s predictions:
| Sport | Game/Event | Date/Time | Net |
Prediction
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golf | PGA Championship, Final Round | 2 PM Sunday | CBS |
6.4
|
| Tiger Woods is atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s final round of the PGA Championship. Final round ratings for four of Woods’ five PGA victories this season have increased by at least 100%, and the season’s final major should be no different. Last year’s PGA Championship drew a horribly low 2.8 rating; in ’07, when Woods last won the event, the final round drew a 6.2 rating. | ||||
| NASCAR | Carfax 400 | 2 PM Sunday | ESPN |
3.3
|
| Assuming NASCAR is able to race on a Sunday for the first time in three weeks, ESPN should pull in a solid audience for the Carfax 400. Last year’s race drew a 3.3 rating opposite the Olympics. | ||||
| Gymnastics | Visa Championships | 8 PM Saturday | NBC |
2.2
|
| Look for NBC to draw a decent enough rating for the Visa Championships on Saturday night. Primetime coverage of the event on the comparable date in ’07 drew a 1.7 rating. | ||||
| Track & Field | IAAF World Championships | 2 PM Sunday | NBC |
1.4
|
| After gymnastics on Saturday, NBC will continue trying to relive its Olympic-glory days with track & field coverage on Sunday. In ’07, NBC drew ratings of 1.5, 1.0 and 1.3 for three days of coverage of the IAAF World Championships. | ||||
