While we wait for the weekend’s numbers: a lack of stars did not hurt the U.S. Open men’s semifinals, Friday’s college football action sank on ESPN and FS1, and the NHRA’s U.S. Nationals could not match last year.
Note: Final national ratings for all television programs dating back to Saturday — including Sunday and Monday’s NFL Week 1 games — have been delayed due to Hurricane Irma, which caused Nielsen to close its national data center in Tampa over the weekend. Nielsen appears to be just one day behind schedule, with the release of Friday’s national ratings pushed back from Monday to Tuesday afternoon, but there is no timetable yet for the release of the Saturday, Sunday and Monday numbers.
U.S. Open Continues Rebound
Coverage of the U.S. Open men’s semifinals — Rafael Nadal-Juan Martin del Potro and Kevin Anderson-Pablo Carreno Busta — earned 1.1 million viewers on ESPN Friday — up 14% from last year (958K) but down 5% from 2015, when the men’s semis aired immediately after women’s semifinal action (1.2M). Entering the weekend, the tournament was averaging 941,000 on ESPN and ESPN2, up 11% from last year (850K) but down 22% from 2015 (1.2M). Those increases will rise even higher once Saturday’s numbers are factored in; the Sloane Stephens-Madison Keys women’s final had a 1.9 overnight rating, up 33% from last year.
Friday CFB Down on ESPN, FS1
Friday’s Oklahoma State-South Alabama college football game delivered 966,000 viewers on ESPN2, down 44% from Louisville-Syracuse last year (1.7M) and down 28% from Utah State-Utah in 2015 (1.3M). Over on Fox Sports 1, Ohio-Purdue earned 403,000 — down 39% from Miami-Florida Atlantic in 2015 (666K); there was no comparable window last year. Ratings for Friday’s games were not immediately available.
NHRA Indy Dips on FOX, FS1
NHRA eliminations from Indianapolis earned 978,000 viewers on the FOX broadcast network Labor Day, down 5% from last year (1.0M), while the two preceding hours of coverage on Fox Sports 1 had 313,000 (-11%). The last time the event aired on ESPN in 2015, tape delayed coverage delivered 935,000.
[Numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 9.12, Fox Sports]
