The Cowboys delivered the first ratings increase of the NFL preseason; the US Gymnastics Championships hit a four-year low; the FedEx Cup got off to a slow start.
Cowboys-49ers bucks preseason’s early downward trend
Saturday’s Cowboys-49ers NFL preseason game averaged a 1.0 rating and 1.66 million viewers on NFL Network, up a tick in ratings and 16% in viewership from Vikings-Broncos last year (0.9, 1.43M), but down a tick and 5% from Cowboys-Rams in 2017 (1.1, 1.73M). The game was the first of the preseason to increase over last year (five telecasts).
Compared to the Cowboys’ first preseason game last year, which aired in a late Thursday night window, ratings were flat and viewership increased 10% (from 1.51M).
On Friday night, Buccaneers-Steelers averaged a 0.75 (-13%) and 1.22 million (-9%).
Four-year low for women’s final of US Gymnastics Championships
The women’s final of the US Gymnastics Championships averaged a 1.8 rating and 2.78 million viewers on NBC Sunday night, down a tick in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year (1.9, 3.08M), and flat and down 3% respectively from 2017 (1.8, 2.88M).
The event, won by Simone Biles for a second-straight year, was the least-watched since 2015. That was the last time coverage aired on a Saturday night (2.36M). Excluding Olympic years, it delivered the fourth-largest audience for the event since 2007 (nine telecasts).
Sunday’s telecast trailed only NASCAR on NBCSN (2.90M) as the weekend’s most-watched sporting event, and took top honors in adults 18-49 (0.5).
Coverage of the men’s final Sunday afternoon averaged a 0.6 and 895,000, almost identical to last year (0.6, 894K).
FedEx Cup gets off to weak start in earlier date
Final round coverage of The Northern Trust, the first event in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoffs, averaged a 1.7 rating and 2.54 million viewers on CBS Sunday afternoon — down 11% in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year (1.9, 2.75M) and down 19% in both measures from 2017 (2.1, 3.14M). Prior to this year, the tournament took place later in August.
The 1.7 rating is tied as the lowest for final round coverage of the tournament since 2005 (1.3). That excludes 2011, when the round was canceled due to Hurricane Irene.
Third round coverage on Saturday had a 1.4 (flat) and 1.97 million (-4%), marking the lowest rated and least-watched third round since 2016 (1.3, 1.83M). Lead-in coverage on Golf Channel had a 0.50 (-14%) and 707,000 (-16%) on Saturday and a 0.46 (-30%) and 678,000 (-29%) on Sunday.
[Nielsen estimates via ShowBuzz Daily 8.13]
