WNBA viewership is trending at a six-year high on ESPN2. In other news, FOX nearly hit an MLB season-low and NASCAR’s Xfinity Series posted another decline.
WNBA Viewership at Six-Year High on ESPN2
Entering the All-Star break, WNBA regular season games have averaged 247,000 viewers on ESPN2 — up 38% from the same number of games last year and the highest average at this point of the season since 2012.
Including games on NBA TV, the season has averaged 114,000 viewers according to Sports Business Daily, up 33% from last year (86K) and the highest average since 2015. [ESPN PR 7.25; Sports Business Daily 7.25]
FOX Nears MLB Season-Low
Regional Major League Baseball action featuring Cardinals-Cubs earned a 1.4 rating and 2.2 million viewers on FOX last Saturday, marking the network’s second-smallest audience of the season (nine telecasts). There was no comparable window last year.
In other action, the same Cardinals-Cubs matchup pulled a 0.41 and 584,000 on TBS Sunday afternoon — up 78% in ratings and 76% in viewership from last year (Astros-Orioles: 0.23, 332K) and up 21% and 25% respectively from 2016 (Giants-Yankees: 0.34, 468K).
On ESPN, Monday’s Diamondbacks-Cubs game had a 0.40 (flat) and 609,000 (+7%). ESPN’s other games this week — Mets-Yankees on Sunday night and Red Sox-Orioles on Wednesday — were rained out. [ShowBuzz Daily 7.24; Programming Insider 7.25]
NASCAR Xfinity Down; NHRA and F1 Up
Last Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race from New Hampshire drew a 0.7 rating and 1.02 million viewers on NBCSN, down a tick in ratings and 13% in viewership from both last year and 2016 (0.8, 1.165M both years).
As for the other racing series, NHRA eliminations from Denver earned a 0.6 (+11%) and 875,000 (+1%) on FOX last Sunday. Earlier that day, the F1 German Grand Prix pulled a 0.35 and 535,000 on ESPN2 — up 6% in ratings and viewership 2016 on NBCSN, the last time the race was held (0.33, 506K). [ShowBuzz]
