MLS season-openers hit multi-year highs on FOX and ESPN. Also: recent ratings for college basketball, the NHL, PGA Tour, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NFL Combine.
MLS openers hit highs
Airing in primetime after the XFL, last Saturday’s Nashville-Atlanta Major League Soccer match averaged a 0.46 rating and 756,000 viewers on FOX — marking the league’s largest opening weekend audience in at least a decade. Viewership increased 334% from the same opening day window last year, which aired on FS1 (LA Galaxy-Chicago: 174K).
On Sunday, LAFC-Miami averaged 653,000 viewers across ESPN and ESPN Deportes — the most-watched MLS opener on the ESPN family of networks since 2011 (Seattle-LA Galaxy: 683K). Viewership increased 44% from LAFC-Kansas City in a later window last year (453K).
Earlier in the day, Seattle-Chicago averaged 350,000 across ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The combined audience declined 11% from last year on ESPN alone (DC-Atlanta: 394K).
Recent college hoops games down
Last Saturday’s Auburn-Kentucky men’s college basketball game averaged a 1.3 rating and 1.96 million viewers on CBS, down a tick in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year (Miami-Duke: 1.4, 2.12M) and down a tick and 12% respectively from a Big Ten Tournament semifinal in 2018 (Purdue-Penn State: 1.4, 2.24M).
CBS also averaged a 0.9 and 1.29 million for Kansas-Kansas State earlier in the day, down 47% and 53% respectively from last year (Kentucky-Tennessee: 1.7, 2.76M). On Sunday, the network pulled a 1.1 (-8%) and 1.70 million (-7%) for Michigan-Ohio State and a 0.65 (-30%) and 913,000 (-33%) for Xavier-Georgetown.
Over on ESPN, Michigan State-Maryland drew a 1.0 and 1.71 million and Duke-Virginia a 1.1 (flat) and 1.66 million (-2%) last Saturday; NC State-Duke a 0.8 (flat) and 1.20 million (-4%) and Texas Tech-Baylor a 0.7 (+34%) and 1.00 million (+30%) on Big Monday; and Michigan State-Penn State a 0.65 (-25%) and 1.03 million (-25%) and Tennessee-Kentucky a 0.7 (-9%) and 1.16 million (-9%) on Super Tuesday.
Flyers-Caps nears season-high on NBCSN
Flyers-Capitals averaged a 0.36 rating and 582,000 viewers on the latest edition of NHL Wednesday Night Hockey on NBCSN, marking the network’s largest NHL audience since mid-October (Avalanche-Penguins: 636K). Overall, it ranks as the third-most watched NHL game on NBCSN this season.
Ratings increased 50% and viewership 56% from last year (Capitals-Flyers: 0.24, 373K). Also up big were the Ducks-Avalanche nightcap (+49% in viewership to 304K) and Bruins-Lightning on Tuesday (+50% to 0.27 and +35% to 419K).
On the flip side, Flyers-Rangers declined 22% in ratings (to 0.7) and 20% in viewership (to 1.05M) on the NBC broadcast network last Sunday. Later in the day, Capitals-Wild fell 8% and 5% respectively on NBCSN (to 0.24, 426K).
Rounding out the recent slate, Kings-Golden Knights averaged 263,000 on NBCSN late Sunday; Hurricanes-Flyers averaged 167,000 on Thursday (-27%).
Plus: PGA Tour, NFL Combine, NASCAR Xfinity
NBC’s coverage of the PGA Tour Honda Classic averaged a 1.2 rating (-14%) and 1.76 million viewers (-16%) last Saturday and a 1.7 (-29%) and 2.51 million (-34%) last Sunday, the tournament’s least-watched third and final rounds on broadcast since 2010 and 2011, respectively. … ABC drew a 0.7 and 976,000 for an hour of NFL Combine coverage last Saturday, up 21% and 23% respectively from an earlier window last year (0.55, 790K). Per Sports Business Daily, NFL Network averaged 242,000 for its four days of coverage (+3%). … NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Fontana (Ca.) averaged a 0.7 and 1.19 million on FS1 last Saturday, up a tick and 20% respectively from last year (0.6, 993K).
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.3, Programming Insider 3.3, 3.4, Sports Business Daily 3.4, ESPN PR 3.4]
