For the first time all season, ratings dropped for the NFL on FOX. Also: the WNBA Finals is off to a mixed start, and Formula 1 scored yet another increase.
FOX posts first decline of NFL season
FOX averaged a 9.7 rating and 16.48 million viewers for last Sunday’s NFL singleheader (mostly Chiefs-Lions or Buccaneers-Rams), marking the network’s first decline of the season (seven telecasts).
Ratings fell 6% and viewership 8% from last year (ft. Cowboys-Lions: 10.3, 18.01M) and 16% and 18% respectively from 2017 (ft. Rams-Cowboys: 11.5, 20.06M). The numbers were the lowest for the Week 4 singleheader since 2016 on CBS (9.4, 16.45M).
Despite the overall decline, the average streaming audience of 371,000 increased 29% from last year.
Through four weeks, FOX is averaging 18.65 million viewers for NFL coverage (+4%), its highest at this point of the season since 2016. That does not include Thursday Night Football.
WNBA Finals off to mixed start
Tuesday’s Sun-Mystics WNBA Finals Game 2 averaged a 0.36 rating and 499,000 viewers on ESPN, down 8% in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year on ABC (Mystics-Storm: 0.39, 546K), but the second-most watched Game 2 since 2014 (Sky-Mercury: 710K). Keep in mind Game 2 aired on ESPN2 from 2015-17.
Game 1 on Sunday afternoon had just 234,000 on ESPN, up 4% from last year’s Friday opener on ESPNEWS (226K), but down 59% from 2017 on ABC (Sparks-Lynx: 566K). It topped only last year’s opener as the least-watched WNBA Finals game since at least 2008.
Yet another increase for F1
Last Sunday’s Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix averaged a 0.33 rating and 511,000 viewers on ESPN2, up 22% in ratings and 29% in viewership from last year (0.27, 396K). It was the 13th of 16 F1 races to increase this season.
In other racing action, the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte averaged a 0.5 (-9%) and 852,000 (-10%) on NBC Saturday afternoon.
[Nielsen estimates from Fox Sports, Fox Sports PR 10.2, ShowBuzz Daily 10.1, Programming Insider 10.2]
