Ratings roundup — a multi-year high for the Pro Bowl Skills Challenge, a top-ten audience for Lakers-Knicks, lower turnout for the Australian Open and more.
NFL Pro Bowl Skills Challenge hits high
Thursday’s NFL Pro Bowl Skills Challenge averaged a 0.55 rating and 1.06 million viewers on ESPN, marking the largest audience for the event in five years (2018: 1.17M) and second-largest in its young history. Viewership increased 23% year-over-year. The telecast trailed the competing Grizzlies-Cavaliers NBA game on TNT head-to-head (1.17M), but tied in adults 18-34 (0.31) and came out ahead in 18-49 (0.38 to 0.36) and 25-54 (0.46 to 0.44).
OT Lakers-Knicks among top games on cable this season
Tuesday’s overtime Lakers-Knicks NBA regular season game averaged 1.70 million viewers on TNT, up 118% from Wizards-Bucks last year (779K) and the tenth-largest NBA audience on cable this season. The game ranks 20th for the season across all networks, with the Lakers (7) tied with the Warriors and Celtics for most games in the top 20.
The Pelicans-Nuggets nightcap drew 1.16 million, up 7% from Nets-Suns last year (1.08M).
In other action, ESPN averaged 1.04 million for the Celtics’ rout of the Nets and 855,000 for Hawks-Suns on Wednesday night — down 18% and flat, respectively, from last year’s equivalent doubleheader (Grizzlies-Knicks: 1.27M; Nuggets-Jazz: 855K). TNT averaged 1.17 million for Grizzlies-Cavaliers and 1.03 million for Clippers-Bucks on Thursday, down 18% and 32% respectively from last year’s doubleheader of Suns-Hawks (1.42M) and Lakers-Clippers (1.51M).
Fewer viewers for Australian Open singles finals, tournament
Novak Djokovic’s three-set sweep of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open men’s final averaged 439,000 viewers on ESPN Sunday morning, down 36% from the five-set Rafael Nadal-Daniil Medvedev match last year (690K) and the least-watched men’s final since Roger Federer-Marcos Baghdatis in 2006 (361K).
The previous day’s Aryna Sabalenka-Elena Rybakina women’s final averaged 379,000, down 21% from last year’s Ashleigh Barty-Danielle Collins match. Both finals peaked after 6 AM ET, with the men’s final topping out at 592,000 viewers from 6:30-6:45 AM ET and the women’s final at 416,000 from 6-6:15 AM.
The full Australian Open averaged 274,000 viewers, down 7% from last year. Viewership in adults 18-49 increased 4% to 73,000.
Plus: College hoops, PGA Tour, figure skating, racing
Last Saturday’s Kansas-Kentucky Big 12/SEC Challenge men’s college basketball game averaged a 1.0 rating and 1.89 million viewers on ESPN, down 20% and 13% respectively from the same matchup in the same window last year (1.3, 2.17M). In women’s action, UConn-Tennessee drew a 0.39 and 656,000 on ESPN Thursday before last, the network’s largest audience for a regular season women’s game since 2019. … Final round coverage of the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines averaged a 1.3 and 2.19 million on CBS last Saturday, down 22% and 17% respectively from last year (1.7, 2.66M) and the tournament’s smallest final round audience in recent memory. Third round action last Friday had a 0.8 (-21%) and 1.14 million (-19%). … The women’s free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships averaged a 1.2 and 1.87 million on NBC last Friday, down 20% from last year prior to the Olympics (1.5, 2.34M) and the lowest since coverage moved to NBC in 2008. … NBC averaged a 0.6 and 986,000 for its portion of the 24 Hours of Daytona auto race last weekend, down a tick in ratings but up in viewership from last year (0.7, 964K).
(Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 2.3, ShowBuzz Daily)
