Moving away from Saturday night paid off for NASCAR’s spring race at Richmond. Plus: another gain for the PGA Tour, with a caveat; a big jump for Sunday Night Baseball; and more.
NASCAR scores largest audience at Richmond since ’17
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race from Richmond (Va.) averaged a 2.0 rating and 3.32 million viewers on FOX, marking the highest rating and viewership for any race at the venue since 2017 (2.9, 4.58M). Ratings increased 18% and viewership 19% from the last time the spring race was run in 2019 (1.7, 2.79M).
Big bump for Braves-Cubs
Braves-Cubs averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.54 million viewers on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball last weekend, up a tick in ratings and 25% in viewership from the comparable date in 2019 (4/14/19 Mets-Braves: 0.8, 1.23M). Compared to the third Sunday night game of last year’s delayed, shortened season, ratings jumped 76% and viewership 91% from Indians-White Sox in early August (0.51, 802K).
In other weekend action, FS1 drew a 0.22 and 392,000 (+86%) for White Sox-Red Sox on Saturday afternoon.
Shifting to the workweek, Mets-Cubs drew 630,000 viewers on ESPN Tuesday night — the most-watched weekday game since Opening Day.
PGA Tour sees another bump, with caveat
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Heritage tournament averaged a 1.6 rating and 2.53 million viewers on CBS last Sunday, up 23% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year, when coverage was affected by rain (1.3, 2.04M), but flat and down 3% respectively from 2019 (1.6, 2.60M). The previous day’s third round averaged a 1.1 (-15%) and 1.92 million (+5%).
Of the last 22 PGA Tour windows on broadcast TV (including The Masters), 17 have posted an increase over the most recent comparable year.
Bama spring game hits high
Last Saturday’s Alabama spring football game averaged a 0.31 rating and 547,000 viewers on ESPN, up 96% from the previous edition of the game two years ago, which aired on ESPN2. It was the most-watched spring game on the ESPN family of networks since Alabama’s 2016 game averaged 751,000.
