- Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and even Ernie Johnson were missing from Thursday’s TNT NBA doubleheader, but the games still drew fairly well. The Bulls’ win over the Cavaliers drew 1.6 million viewers (#26 for the night on cable), up 12% from 76ers/Bulls last year (1.5 mil), while the Nuggets’ win over the Lakers drew 2.0 million (#16 for the night), down 20% from the same matchup last year (2.5 mil). (pifeedback.com)
- Thursday’s Islanders/Penguins game drew a massive 13.1 rating on FSN Pittsburgh, the second-highest rating ever for a Penguins game on the network. This is the third time this season that the Penguins have drawn their second-highest rating ever on FSN. The record is still held by Maple Leafs/Penguins in ’00 (15.9), which featured the return of Mario Lemieux from retirement. (penguins.nhl.com)
- The Rays’ Opening Day game against the Orioles drew a 4.8 rating on FS Florida, up 115% from last year’s season opener (2.9). Meanwhile, the Athletics and Giants saw their Opening Day ratings rise 65% and 22%, respectively, while the White Sox’ opener had a 24% decline. (Sports Business Daily)
WSJ: Rupert Murdoch spoke to White House about NFL streaming deals
Fox Corporation's campaign against the NFL's streaming deals reportedly reached the highest levels of the company and the government.
