Fewer viewers saw Serena Williams‘ upset loss in the Australian Open final. In other news, CBS scored a pair of increases for college basketball over the weekend, and the Winter X Games declined on ABC and ESPN.
Fewer Viewers For Serena’s Aussie Loss; Men’s Final Flat
- The Angelique Kerber/Serena Williams Australian Open women’s final drew 679,000 viewers on ESPN Saturday morning, down 16% from Williams/Maria Sharapova last year (805K) but up 74% from Li Na/Dominika Cibulkova in 2014 (390K). On Sunday, the Novak Djokovic/Andy Murray men’s final scored a 0.5 overnight — even with the same matchup last year and down a tick from Stanislas Wawrinka/Rafael Nadal in ’14 (0.6).
Overnights Up For College Hoops on CBS
- Sunday’s Maryland/Ohio State college basketball game scored a 1.5 overnight rating on CBS, up 15% from Michigan/Michigan State last year (1.3) and even with Michigan/Indiana in 2014. Virginia/Louisville had a 0.9 the previous day, up a tick from Arkansas/Florida last year (0.8) but off 18% Kentucky/Missouri in ’14 (1.1). Both last year and in 2014, the games took place over Super Bowl weekend. On FOX, Villanova/St. John’s drew a 0.6 overnight Sunday afternoon.
Winter X Games Dip on ABC, Plunge on ESPN
- Coverage of the Winter X Games drew a 0.8 overnight rating on ABC Saturday afternoon, down a tick from last year (0.9) and down 25% from coverage in a shorter window two years ago (1.2). Over on ESPN, Friday’s X Games coverage netted just 544,000 viewers — down 40% from last year (900K) and down 44% from 2014 (978K). Unlike previous years, when coverage aired in a late night window after the NBA, this year’s telecast aired earlier in the night with SportsCenter as a lead-in.
(Fri. numbers via Sports TV Ratings; overnights via Sports Business Daily)
