The Cleveland Browns gave NFL preseason ratings another lift last week; BIG3 basketball hit a viewership low on FOX; the Braves delivered their highest local rating in five years.
Browns Lift NFL Network Again; Pats Hit High
Friday’s Bills-Browns NFL preseason game earned a 0.85 rating and 1.32 million viewers on NFL Network, up 20% in ratings and 17% in viewership from Vikings-Seahawks in a later window last year (0.7, 1.13M), and up 12% and 9% respectively from 2016 opposite the Olympics (Dolphins-Cowboys: 0.8. 1.21M).
Of the eight nationally televised preseason games through Friday, it was just the second to post an increase. Both games involved the Browns, with Cleveland’s opener against the Giants up 11% in ratings and 6% in viewership.
In other preseason action, last Thursday’s Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl rematch had 14.6 rating on Boston CBS affiliate WBZ, the highest for a Patriots game in the second week of the preseason since 2013. Including coverage on Manchester (N.H.) ABC affiliate WMUR — Manchester is considered part of the Boston DMA — the game had a 17.8 rating.
BIG3 Hits FOX Low
BIG3 basketball earned a 0.5 rating and 760,000 viewers on the FOX broadcast network Friday night, marking the least-watched of the three primetime BIG3 telecasts on the network this season. Previous windows had 921,000 and 909,000 viewers. Friday’s audience is among the smallest on record for a primetime sporting event on over-the-air television.
Compared to other recent primetime sporting events on FOX, viewership trailed NASCAR Truck Series racing the previous night (1.09M) but easily topped coverage of the Jr. NBA six nights earlier (422K).
Braves Hit High in Beanball Game
Last Wednesday’s Marlins-Braves Major League Baseball game had a 5.99 rating on Fox Sports Southeast in the Atlanta market, the highest for a Braves game on the network since 2013. Braves rookie OF Ronald Acuña Jr., who entered the game on a home run streak, was beaned in his first at bat and forced to leave the game.
[Numbers from Programming Insider 8.20, Patriots.com 8.17, Atlanta-Journal Constitution 8.16]
