The numbers were far from impressive, but the UFC on FOX had a rare positive outing last weekend.
UFC on FOX 15 drew a 1.5 final rating and 2.7 million viewers on FOX last Saturday night, down a tick in ratings but up 9% in viewership from last April (1.6, 2.5M) but down 32% and 27%, respectively, from April 2013 (2.2, 3.7M). Compared to the most recent edition of the UFC on FOX in January, ratings and viewership declined by 17% and 10%, respectively, from a 1.8 and 3.0 million.
The year-over-year increase in viewership is just the second for the UFC on FOX in the past two years (eight telecasts).
Head-to-head, the UFC earned a larger audience than the Penguins/Rangers NHL playoff game on NBC (2.2M) and the Bucks/Bulls NBA playoff game on ESPN (2.75M to 2.66M). Keep in mind the Bucks/Bulls game had a higher rating (1.8). Overall, it topped five of Saturday’s seven NBA and NHL playoff telecasts — trailing only Pelicans/Warriors on ABC (3.5M) and Mavericks/Rockets on ESPN (3.3M).
On a less positive note, the telecast was the eighth straight edition of the UFC on FOX to dip below a 2.0 rating, compared to just two of the previous seven. It trailed the previous week’s Premier Boxing Champions telecast on NBC (1.8, 2.9M), as well as the PBC’s debut on NBC a month earlier (2.1, 3.4M).
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily)
