Recent sports ratings: last weekend’s Australian Open finals could not match last year’s highs, Senior Bowl ratings hit a seven-year high, Super Bowl Media Day posted an increase, and the Pegasus World Cup horse race dipped on NBC.
Aussie Open Finals Down From Last Year’s Highs
Last Sunday’s
Roger Federer–
Marin Cilic Australian Open men’s final had a 0.4 rating and 554,000 viewers on ESPN, down 43% in ratings and 49% in viewership from Federer-
Rafael Nadal last year (0.7, 1.1M), but flat and up 5% respectively from 2016 (
Novak Djokovic–
Andy Murray: 0.4, 527K).
The previous night, the Caroline Wozniacki–Simona Halep women’s final drew a 0.3 and 450,000 — down 50% in ratings and 51% in viewership from Serena Williams–Venus Williams last year (0.6, 926K). It was the least-watched women’s final since the last non-Williams edition, Li Na–Dominika Cibulkova in 2013 (0.3, 390K).
Both finals attracted a larger audience on tape delay. Mid-morning encores drew a 0.3 (-25%) and 472,000 (-25%) on Saturday and a 0.5 (-17%) and 718,000 (-22%) on Sunday.
ESPN Nielsen ratings include streaming viewership on TV-connected devices; comparisons are to last year’s TV-only numbers.
Senior Bowl Hits Seven-Year High
Last Saturday’s college football Senior Bowl drew a 0.50 rating and 786,000 viewers on NFL Network, up 22% in ratings and 28% in viewership from last year (0.41, 613K) and the most-watched edition of the game since 2011 (874K). The previous high was 758,000 in 2014 and 2016.
Super Bowl Media Day Up
Coverage of Super Bowl Media Day had 323,000 viewers on NFL Network and 231,000 on ESPN2 Monday night, up 15% and 12% respectively from last year (280K, 206K). Compared to 2016, NFL Network declined 25% (from 431K) and ESPN2 fell 18% (from 281K).
Coverage also aired on NBCSN, but figures were not available. (Updated to note NBCSN broadcast.)
Pegasus World Cup Dips on NBC
The Pegasus World Cup Invitational horse race had a 1.1 rating and 1.50 million viewers on NBC last Saturday, flat in ratings and down 5% in viewership from last year (1.1, 1.58M).
[Numbers from ESPN, ShowBuzz Daily 1.30a, 1.30b]
