The MLS Cup delivered its largest audience in a quarter-century. Plus: viewers continue to watch one of the NBA’s worst teams and more, including a weak outing for the Breeders Cup Classic.
Viewership milestone for MLS Cup
Last weekend’s MLS Cup (Philadelphia-LAFC) averaged a combined audience of 2.16 million viewers across FOX and Univision, up 38% from last year, the largest audience for the event in 25 years, and the second-largest club soccer audience of the year behind the UEFA Champions League final.
The sizable increase and viewership high came despite hefty competition from the most-watched college football game of this season, Tennessee-Georgia on CBS (13.06M). Last year’s final faced far less competition from the Army-Navy game.
FOX alone averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.49 million viewers, marking the fifth-largest English-language audience in MLS Cup history. Philadelphia, which had a rooting interest both in the match and the Phillies World Series game that followed, led all markets with a 4.8 rating on FOX alone. Los Angeles combined for a 2.4 across FOX (1.35) and Univision (1.1).
Lowly Lakers lead recent NBA
Wednesday’s Lakers-Clippers NBA regular season game, which the Lakers lost to drop to 2-9 on the season, averaged 1.48 million viewers on ESPN — down from Heat-Lakers last year (~1.6M) but the most-watched game of the past week. The now 2-10 Lakers have played in four of the 11 most-watched games this season, the most of any team (Golden State has played only three games total on ESPN or TNT thus far).
Earlier in the night, Knicks-Nets drew 1.23 million — up about a quarter from Pistons-Rockets last year (~977K).
Going back to the prior week, ESPN averaged a 0.8 rating and 1.47 million viewers for Bulls-Celtics on November 4, up double-digits from last year (Knicks-Bucks: 0.7, ~1.2M). The Bucks-Timberwolves nightcap drew a 0.7 and 1.12 million, down double-digits (vs. Pelicans-Warriors: 0.9, ~1.6M).
Plus: Breeders Cup, NHL, gymnastics
TNT’s four NHL games this week averaged 289,000 viewers (Penguins-Capitals: 408K; Oilers-Lightning: 374K; Wild-Ducks: 183K; Predators-Kraken: 175K), up comfortably from the network’s lone game in the comparable week of last season (Wild-Coyotes: ~234K). ESPN chipped in 213,000 for Maple Leafs-Hurricanes last Sunday. … Horse racing’s Breeders Cup Classic averaged a 0.6 rating and 988,000 viewers on NBC last weekend, topping only two years ago (~802K) as the lowest for the event in more than a decade. … Coverage of the World Gymnastics Championships averaged a 0.40 and 682,000 on NBC last weekend, up from last year (0.34, 504K), but well short of the Simone Biles-boosted edition three years ago (0.7, 1.05M).
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily, Programming Insider)
