The Warriors continue to deliver for the NBA’s broadcast partners. Plus: Formula 1 scored another strong audience entering its season finale; CBS opened its college hoops schedule on a weak note; and more.
More gains for Warriors on national TV
ESPN averaged a 1.2 rating and 2.04 million viewers for last Friday’s Suns-Warriors NBA regular season game, up a tick in ratings and 26% in viewership from Lakers-Blazers on the comparable night in 2019 (1.1, 1.62M). Ratings and viewership fell shy of the teams’ previous meeting on TNT three nights earlier (1.4, 2.38M). Golden State and Phoenix have the two best records in the NBA.
Earlier Friday, Sixers-Hawks drew a 0.7 and 1.21 million — up 4% and 9% respectively from ’19 (Nuggets-Celtics: 0.7, 1.11M). ESPN is now averaging 1.49 million viewers for its NBA coverage; a comparison to the same point in 2019 was not available.
Shifting to this week’s action, ESPN averaged 1.64 million for Blazers-Warriors on Wednesday night — up 55% from Pelicans-Bucks in ’19 (1.06M). Bucks-Heat led-in with 1.26 million, up 8% from Kawhi Leonard’s return to Toronto in ’19 (Clippers-Raptors: 1.16M).
Over on TNT, Celtics-Lakers drew 1.63 million and Nets-Mavericks 1.32 million on Tuesday night — both surpassing TNT’s lone game on the comparable Tuesday in 2019, Nuggets-Sixers (1.06M).
F1 enters finale with another strong audience
Last Sunday’s Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix averaged a 0.51 rating and 923,000 viewers on ESPN2, trailing only the Monaco Grand Prix in May (934K) as the most-watched F1 race ever on ESPN’s secondary network. The race, which peaked with 1.2 million viewers, was a new addition to the schedule.
F1 races are now averaging 933,000 viewers across the ESPN networks, up 53% from last year’s delayed, shortened season and up 37% from the same number of races in 2019 (682K).
Weak start for college hoops on CBS
CBS opened its college basketball regular season last weekend with a mere 0.43 rating and 709,000 viewers for San Diego State-Michigan, down 66% in ratings and 61% in viewership from its 2019 opener (Oregon-Michigan: 1.3, 1.83M), which aired a week later on the calendar and did not face college football.
Compared to the network’s Notre Dame-Kentucky opener last season, which also aired a week later in the season but faced a full slate of college football games, ratings still fell 39% (from 0.7) and viewership 37% (from 1.12M).
Despite the low numbers, CBS still outperformed the competing Marquette-Wisconsin game on FOX (0.36, 596K).
PTI, NFL studio shows, golf
Monday’s edition of Pardon the Interruption averaged 894,000 viewers on ESPN, the show’s largest audience in 22 months (2/24/20: 915K). The previous high was 878,000 for the October 11 episode. … ESPN’s NFL Live is averaging 404,000 viewers since the NFL season began, up 30% from last year and the show’s highest average at this point of an NFL season since 2016. Viewership is also up for Monday Night Countdown (1.53M, +26%) and Sunday NFL Countdown (1.21M, +4%). … NBC averaged a 0.6 rating and 922,000 last Saturday and a 0.6 and 955,000 last Sunday for coverage of the World Challenge golf tournament, well below the network’s lone telecast the last time the event was held in 2019 (0.9, 1.30M).
