Ratings roundup — ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime finished up double-digits from the past two years; NASCAR scored a slight bump at Phoenix; the NHL Heritage Classic jumped over the previous edition; and more.
ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime finishes up from past two years
ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime averaged 2.98 million viewers this season, up 32% from last year and 26% from two years ago. Last weekend’s season finale (Bucks-Warriors) averaged a 1.6 and 2.89 million, ranking fifth out of the seven Saturday night windows.
In other action, ABC averaged a 1.5 and 2.63 million for Mavericks-Celtics and a 1.1 and 1.85 million for Knicks-Nets last Sunday. ESPN’s Lakers-Suns nightcap drew a 1.0 and 1.77 million, up dramatically from last year (Clippers-Pelicans: 0.6, 1.01M, pending revision) despite a lopsided 26-point first quarter margin.
Shifting to the workweek, ESPN drew 1.62 million for Nuggets-Sixers (+44%, pending revision) and 1.41 million for Bucks-Jazz (+10%, pending revision) on Monday night; and 1.60 million for Celtics-Warriors and 1.25 million for Mavericks-Nets on Wednesday.
NASCAR Phoenix audience inches up
Last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race from Phoenix averaged a 2.3 rating and 3.99 million viewers on FOX, flat in ratings and up 2% in viewership from last year, but down 14% and 13% respectively from two years ago. Chase Briscoe’s win, which peaked with 4.9 million viewers, tops only last year as the least-watched edition of the race.
Even if on the low side, the race trailed only the NCAA Tournament Selection Show as the most-watched sportscast of the weekend.
In other action, the corresponding Xfinity Series race drew a 0.7 (flat) and 1.09 million (-9%, pending revision) on FS1 last Saturday.
NHL Heritage Classic up from previous edition
Last Sunday’s Maple Leafs-Sabres NHL Heritage Classic outdoor game averaged a 0.21 rating and 348,000 viewers on TNT, up 98% in viewership from the previous Heritage Classic in 2019, a Saturday night game on NBCSN (Flames-Jets: 176K). TNT also drew 499,000 for Bruins-Wild (+11%, pending revision) and 211,000 for Lightning-Kraken (+52%, pending revision) this past Wednesday.
In other NHL action, Flyers-Hurricanes averaged a 0.42 and 743,000 on last weekend’s edition of ABC Hockey Saturday.
Plus: Women’s Selection Show; The Players; Paralympics
Last Sunday’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament Selection Show averaged 1.19 million viewers on ESPN, the largest audience for the event since 2005. It previously aired on a Monday night. … Monday’s rain-delayed final round of The Players Championship averaged 1.35 million viewers on Golf Channel, with the conclusion of the third round putting up 302,000 earlier in the day. Weekend coverage on NBC averaged a 1.6 and 2.56 million last Saturday and a 1.8 and 2.91 million last Sunday, the latter the tournament’s smallest Sunday audience in at least 20 years. … The recent Beijing Winter Paralympics averaged 165,000 viewers across NBC and USA Network, up 62% from 2018 on NBC and NBCSN (102K). That includes 1.34 million for primetime coverage on NBC March 11, the largest audience ever for a Winter Paralympics telecast.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily, network PR]
