Ratings and viewership increased double-digits for ESPN’s second NFL preseason game. Also: numbers for the latest episode of Hard Knocks, Bill Walton’s baseball debut, and soccer’s Campeones Cup.
49ers-Broncos up double-digits on ESPN
Monday’s 49ers-Broncos NFL preseason game averaged a 1.9 rating and 3.01 million viewers on ESPN, up 12% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year (Ravens-Colts: 1.7, 2.66M), but down 17% and 16% respectively from 2017 (Giants-Browns: 2.3. 3.57M).
The 49ers’ win delivered the largest preseason audience on cable since the aforementioned Giants-Browns game.
Hard Knocks down slightly in episode three
The third episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” averaged 632,000 viewers Tuesday night, down a fraction of a percent from last year (634K), but up 31% from 2017 (481K). It was the first episode of this season to decline from last year.
Including streaming, the episode averaged 772,000, according to Sports Business Daily reporter Austin Karp (-1%).
Walton buzz bigger on social media than on TV
NBC Sports Chicago averaged a 0.8 rating for last Friday’s White Sox-Angels Major League Baseball game, which featured Bill Walton as a guest analyst. The 0.8 is below the season average of 1.1, with the caveat that the game began after 9 PM local time.
The full White Sox-Angels series, which included other celebrity guest analysts, averaged a 0.8 — up 111% from the team’s three-game series in Anaheim last year (0.38).
While Walton’s appearance did not move the television ratings appreciably, clips of his performance were viewed nearly seven million times on Twitter.
Campeones Cup up on Univision, down on ESPN2
Last Wednesday’s Campeones Cup between MLS champion Atlanta and Liga MX champion Club America averaged 1.2 million viewers on Univision and TUDN, up from Toronto-Tigres last year (1.1M). English-language coverage on ESPN2 had just 172,000 viewers (-36%).
[Nielsen estimates from ESPN, Austin Karp/Twitter 8.21, NBC Sports Chicago, Univision]
