Recent sports TV ratings news, including an eight-year high for the Magic on Sun Sports, big increases for the Accenture Match Play Championship on The Golf Channel, and numbers for NASCAR’s Nationwide Series on ESPN2.
- Tuesday’s Knicks/Magic NBA game drew a 4.7 rating on Sun Sports in the Orlando TV market, the highest rating for a regular season Magic telecast on the network since January 2002 (LAL/ORL: 5.8). Ratings for Magic telecasts are up 30% this season. (Fox Sports)
- Viewership increased substantially for the Accenture Match Play Championship on The Golf Channel. Coverage of Day 1 last Wednesday earned 712,000 viewers, up 86% from last year (318K), coverage on Thursday drew 768,000, up 95% (393K), and Friday’s action scored 890,000, up 83% (486K). Five hours of coverage on Saturday drew 562,000 viewers, up 71% (328K). (NBC Sports Group via Fang’s Bites)
- ESPN2 drew a 1.3 U.S. rating and 2.117 million viewers for Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 from Phoenix, down 13% in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year’s comparable race from Fontana (1.5, 2.283M). However, the race was up 44% and 67%, respectively, from last year’s spring Phoenix race (0.9, 1.263M). (ESPN)
