F1 ratings hit a new high last weekend; the Phillies and Cubs (and Braves) have been moving the needle to open the MLB season; ESPN’s second UFC Fight Night was no match for the first; the AAF concluded on a higher note.
F1 hits new high at Bahrain
Last Sunday’s Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix drew a 0.44 rating and 711,000 viewers on ESPN2, flat in ratings and up 3% in viewership from last year (0.44, 692K) and up 76% and 72% respectively from 2017 on CNBC (0.25, 413K).
The race delivered the second-largest F1 cable audience on record, trailing only last year’s Monaco Grand Prix on ESPN (820K).
Phillies, Cubs moving needle early
Braves-Phillies scored a 1.1 rating and 1.87 million viewers on the season premiere of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, flat in ratings and down 4% in viewership from last year (Giants-Dodgers: 1.1, 1.94M). The game overlapped with the end of the Michigan State-Duke NCAA Tournament regional final.
Philadelphia’s win delivered the largest audience of MLB opening week.
Earlier in the day, ESPN drew a 0.3 and 489,000 (-25%) for Cubs-Rangers. The previous day, FS1 scored a 0.32 and 554,000 (+146%) for Braves-Phillies, while Giants-Padres chipped in just 248,000 (-7%).
Shifting to the workweek, ESPN drew 768,000 viewers for Cubs-Braves on Wednesday (+37%) and 759,000 for the same matchup on Monday (+4%). Also on Monday, ESPN drew 474,000 for Giants-Dodgers (+138%) and 480,000 for Cardinals-Pirates (-5%), with ESPN2 chipping in 179,000 for White Sox-Indians.
UFC Fight Night down from first ESPN airing
The second UFC on ESPN Fight Night earned a 0.53 rating and 828,000 viewers Saturday night, down 40% in ratings and 43% in viewership from the first such telecast in February (0.9, 1.46M). There was no Fight Night on the comparable weekend last year. Coverage aired opposite the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
AAF ends on a higher note
The final Alliance of American Football League telecast — Arizona-San Antonio on NFL Network Sunday night — drew 268,000 viewers, up 5% from the previous week (Birmingham-Memphis: 255K). The previous day, TNT scored a 0.30 and 469,000 for Orlando-Memphis, up 36% in ratings and 38% in viewership from the week before (Orlando-Atlanta: 0.22, 340K).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 4.2]
