The WNBA Finals opened with a viewership high for the second straight year. In other news, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series nearly pulled even with last year despite a postponement and Formula 1 racing from Japan was a mixed draw for NBCSN.
WNBA Finals Opener Hits High
- Game 1 of the Sparks/Lynx WNBA Finals had 597,000 viewers on ABC Sunday afternoon, up 5% from Fever/Lynx last year (571K), up 7% from Sky/Mercury in 2014 (558K), and the largest Game 1 audience on the ESPN family of networks since 1998. The game’s 0.4 final rating was even with last year. Viewership peaked at 693,000 from 4:45 PM ET through the conclusion. (ESPN Media Zone 10/11)
NASCAR Xfinity Rainout Down Just Slightly From Last Year
- Airing immediately after the rescheduled Sprint Cup race, postponed NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Charlotte had a 0.6 final rating and 905,000 viewers on NBCSN Sunday afternoon — down just 6% in viewership from last year’s race, which was run as scheduled on a Friday night (962K). (via ShowBuzz Daily 10/11)
F1 Japanese GP Mixed on NBCSN
- Formula 1 racing from Japan had a 0.1 final rating and 225,000 viewers on NBCSN in the overnight hours Sunday morning, down a tick in ratings but up 2% in viewership from last year (0.2, 221K) and down a tick and 7%, respectively, from 2014 (0.2, 242K). (via ShowBuzz Daily 10/11)
