Facing college football at a NASCAR racetrack, actual NASCAR racing declined in the overnights. In other news, ESPN scored a double-digit bump for Louisville/Syracuse Friday night, and the U.S. Open semifinals posted mixed results on last week.
NASCAR Richmond Overnights Low Opposite “Battle at Bristol”
- NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Richmond earned a 1.5 overnight rating on NBCSN Saturday night, down 12% from last year (1.7) and down 44% from 2014 on broadcast network ABC (2.7). The 1.5 is the lowest of the season for a Sprint Cup race. Keep in mind NASCAR faced unique competition from Saturday’s Virginia Tech/Tennessee college football game, which took place from the Bristol Motor Speedway racetrack (3.8). (NBC Sports)
Louisville/Syracuse Posts Gains on ESPN
- Friday’s Louisville/Syracuse college football game scored 1.7 million viewers on ESPN2, up 29% from Utah State/Utah last year (1.3M) but down 8% from Pittsburgh/Boston College in 2014, which aired on ESPN (1.9M). Ratings were not immediately available. (via ShowBuzz Daily 9/12)
Mixed Results For U.S. Open Semis
- The U.S. Open women’s semifinals, featuring Serena Williams‘ loss to Karolina Pliskova, had 1.4 million viewers on ESPN Thursday night — up 5% from last year’s women’s semis, which aired on a Friday afternoon (1.44M to 1.38M). While this year’s telecast had a cushier timeslot, it also faced much tougher competition — the NFL Kickoff Game. Friday’s men’s semifinals delivered 958,000, down 17% from last year, when play began two hours later (1.2M). (via ShowBuzz Daily 9/9, 9/12)
