NBC saw slight gains for its coverage of the European Tour Scottish Open. In other news, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series declined on NBCSN, and the Wimbledon semifinals neared a tournament-high on ESPN.
Scottish Open Overnights Up on NBC
- Final round coverage of the European Tour Scottish Open drew a 1.0 overnight rating on NBC Sunday afternoon, up a tick from last year (0.9) and down 23% from Phil Mickelson‘s win in 2013 (1.3). It trailed Sunday’s coverage of the PGA Tour John Deere Classic on CBS (2.8) but topped the U.S. Women’s Open on FOX (0.7). Third round action the previous day drew a 0.7, up a tick from both last year and 2013 (0.6 both years). (via Sports Business Daily)
Xfinity Series Drops on NBCSN
- NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Kentucky drew 1.1 million viewers on NBCSN Friday night, down 13% from last year (1.3M) and down 12% from 2013 (1.2M), both on ESPN. Excluding rainouts, the race earned the second-smallest Xfinity Series audience this season, ahead of only coverage from Richmond on Fox Sports 1 (1.09M to 1.07M). (via ShowBuzz Daily)
Wimbledon Women’s Semis Hit Near-High on ESPN
- ESPN earned just under 1.1 million viewers for coverage of the Wimbledon women’s semifinals Thursday, the second-largest audience of the tournament outside of the finals. Only coverage on July 4 generated a larger audience (1.11M to 1.07M). The men’s semifinals drew a nearly identical audience the following day (1.06M). Viewership for last year’s semifinals was not immediately available. (via ShowBuzz Daily)
