The Little League World Series finished on a lower note, but dominated baseball viewing last week. Plus: Yankees-A’s gave Sunday Night Baseball a boost; golf’s BMW Championship scored a nine-year high; and more.
LLWS dominates baseball viewing, but final is no match for 2019
Sunday’s Taylor (Mich.)-Hamilton (Ohio) Little League World Series championship game averaged a 1.6 rating and 2.78 million viewers on ABC, down from both equivalent games in 2019 — the World Championship (River Ridge, La.-Curacao: 1.9, 3.02M) and U.S. Championship (River Ridge-Wailuku, Hi.: 1.9, 2.93M). There was no World Championship this year as international teams were barred from competition.
In other action, Saturday’s Taylor-Honolulu semifinal pulled a 1.3 and 2.35 million and the preceding Hamilton-Sioux Falls semi a 1.0 and 1.66 million. Between the semifinals, championship and weeknight games, the Little League World Series delivered 14 of the 15 largest baseball audiences last week and each of the top five.
Yankees-A’s gives Sunday Night Baseball a boost
Yankees-A’s averaged a 0.8 rating and 1.35 million viewers on the latest edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, up a tick in ratings and 12% in viewership from last year (Braves-Phillies: 0.8, 1.20M), but down a sharp 47% and 44% respectively from Yankees-Dodgers in 2019 (1.5, 2.39M). Earlier in the day, TBS dew a 0.26 (+4%) and 432,000 (+13%) for Giants-Braves. FS1 on Saturday pulled a 0.16 and 268,000 for Red Sox-Indians and a 0.13 and 243,000 for Padres-A’s, both down from the equivalent games in 2019 (there were no comparable windows last year).
Shifting to this week, ESPN drew 626,000 for Red Sox-Rays and 433,000 for Braves-Dodgers on Monday, up 84% and 87% respectively from last year (Cardinals-Reds: 340K; Padres-Rockies: 231K), but down 7% and 22% respectively from 2019 (Cardinals-Brewers: 671K; Yankees-Mariners: 554K).
Nine-year high for BMW Championship
Final round coverage of the PGA Tour BMW Championship, the second leg of the FedEx Cup, averaged a 2.3 rating and 3.72 million viewers on NBC Sunday afternoon and evening — marking the highest rating and viewership for the tournament since 2012 (2.5, 3.6M). The tournament has topped a 2.0 rating and 3.0 million viewers each year since the PGA Tour adjusted its schedule so the FedEx Cup would avoid NFL season. Prior to the move, the final round typically averaged a rating in the low 1.0s and fewer than two million.
Patrick Cantlay’s playoff win over Bryson Dechambeau increased a tick in ratings and 8% in viewership from last year (2.2, 3.44M) and 11% and 18% respectively from 2019 (2.1, 3.15M).
Third round action averaged a 1.4 and 2.19 million on Saturday, actually the lowest since 2017 (1.1, 1.70M) — down 23% in ratings and 16% in viewership from last year (1.8, 2.62M) and down 19% and 9% respectively from ’19 (1.7, 2.39M).
Plus: MLS, EPL, Paralympics, Travers Stakes
Last week’s MLS All-Star Game, which pit MLS players against their counterparts from LigaMX, averaged 1.4 million viewers on Univision — the event’s largest audience on a single network since Univision drew 1.48 million in 2017. FS1 chipped in just 175,000 for its coverage. … Saturday’s Liverpool-Chelsea English Premier League match averaged 1.66 million across NBC, Peacock and Telemundo, the fourth-largest live EPL audience ever on U.S. television. … Sandwiched between the PGA Tour and NFL, highlights of the Tokyo Paralympics averaged a 1.2 rating and 2.10 million viewers on NBC Sunday night. Coverage earlier in the day pulled a 0.49 and 790,000. Both windows easily outdrew NBC’s lone Paralympics telecast in 2016, which had a 0.4 and 651,000. … Horse racing’s Travers Stakes drew 1.09 million viewers on FOX Saturday, up 80% from last year (606K) and the largest audience for the event since American Pharoah won it in 2015.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 8.31]
