Ratings Roundup: NBC Sees Overnight Drop for Preakness; Rockets, Clippers Close Out Series with a Bang for ESPN

NBC’s overnight rating for the the 140th Preakness Stakes dropped 8% from last year with a 5.8 rating, down from a 6.3 last year and down 3% from 6.0 rating in 2013. Saturday’s coverage peaked at a 7.6 rating from 6:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. as American Pharoah took the second leg of the Triple Crown. Baltimore led all markets with a 16.8 local rating, down from the market’s 17.2 rating last year, but up from a 15.7 in 2013. Louisville, Ky., came in second with an 11.9. (Baltimore Business Journal)…

…The Houston Rockets victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 of their Western Conference Semifinals series on Sunday delivered a 5.8 overnight rating on ABC. The broadcast peaked with a 7.7 from 6 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. This marks the highest-rated first or second round NBA playoff game on any ESPN network since May 2012. Game 7 generated a massive 25.1 rating in the Houston market, making it the highest-rated NBA playoff game ever in the market, as far as records go back (2003). In Los Angeles, the game did a 9.5…

…As for the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 6 of the Hawks/Wizards NBA playoff series drew 3.1 million viewers on ESPN Friday night, the least-watched second round clinching game in seven years — since Magic/Pistons Game 5 in 2008 (2.8M). There was no comparable game last year or in 2013. (SMW)

Meanwhile, Game 6 of the Cavaliers/Bulls NBA playoff series drew 6.6 million viewers on ESPN Thursday night, up 24% from Pacers/Wizards last year (5.3M) and the second-largest audience of the playoffs on any network. The only game to earn a larger audience was Sunday’s Cavaliers/Bulls Game 4 on ABC (6.9M). (SMW)…

…NBC had a mixed bag for its opening telecasts of the NHL Conference Finals over the weekend. The net drew a 1.7 overnight rating Sunday afternoon for Blackhawks-Ducks Game 1, down from a 1.9 rating for Kings-Blackhawks Game 1 in the same window. Both games had competition from NBA Playoffs matchups. NBC earned a 1.7 overnight rating for Game 1 of the Lightning/Rangers NHL Eastern Conference final on NBC Saturday afternoon, up from a 1.2 for Rangers/Canadiens last year. (SBD)

Prior those series, Game 7 of the Capitals/Rangers NHL playoff series drew a 1.6 final rating and 2.7 million viewers on NBCSN Wednesday night, up 19% in viewership from Canadiens/Bruins last year (2.3M) and down 24% and 19%, respectively, from Red Wings/Blackhawks in 2013 (2.1, 3.4M). That marks the third-largest second round playoff audience ever on an NBC cable network (dates back to 2006). (SMW)…

…CBS drew a 2.4 overnight rating for the final round of the PGA Tour Wells Fargo Championship yesterday, which saw Rory McIlroy win the event by seven shots over Webb Simpson and Patrick Rodgers. That figure is up from a 2.2 overnight last year’s J.B. Holmes victory. (SBD)…

…Saturday night’s NASCAR SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE, won by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, scored 3,840,000 viewers, making it the most-watched All-Star Race since 2011. Combined with Saturday’s UFC and MLB programming, the lineup drove FOX Sports 1 to its eighth most-watched day in network history, averaging 818,000 viewers from 6 AM ET to 6 AM ET. FOX Sports 1 also was the No. 1 ad-supported cable sports network over that span. Thanks to the NASCAR SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE, FOX Sports 1 was the No. 2 network in all of broadcast and cable television and No. 1 in ad-supported cable in prime time on Saturday night, averaging 3,230,000 viewers from 8 PM ET to 11 PM ET. Among Adults 18-49 (A18-49), FOX Sports 1 was the No. 1 network in all of broadcast and cable television prime, averaging 848,000 viewers…

…NBC’s final-round coverage of The Players Championship on Sunday, May 9, averaged a 3.3 final rating and 5.0 million viewers, up 57% and 67%, respectively, from last year. Rickie Fowler won this year’s tourney in sudden death after a three-hole aggregate playoff, when ratings and viewership peaked at a 4.8 and 7.8 million during the final half-hour. (SBD)…

…Univision Deportes delivered the most-viewed club soccer regular season on any network, regardless of language, since 2011. UniMás broadcast its most-viewed Liga MX regular season since 2008 and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) set new ratings highs with its Liga MX coverage. On Univision Network, viewership for Liga MX increased by +12% for both Total Viewers 2+ and young Adults 18-34, and +9% for Adults 18-49 vs. prior year. Liga MX on Univision Network averaged 982,000 Total Viewers 2+, 525,000 Adults 18-49 and 252,000 young Adults 18-34 in the Clausura 2015 season, the most-viewed club soccer regular season on any network since the 2011 Liga MX Clausura campaign on Univision Network.

Chivas de la Guadalajara home matches, airing exclusively on Univision Deportes, averaged 1.3 million Total Viewers 2+, 743,000 Adults 18-49 and 370,000 young Adults 18-34 per match in the Clausura 2015 season, the most-viewed club soccer team in the U.S., on any network, regardless of language. The El Súper Clásico match on Univision Network, with Chivas de la Guadalajara vs. Club América, delivered an average audience of 3.0 million Total Viewers 2+, 1.7 million Adults 18-49 and 862,000 young Adults 18-34 on April 26, the most-viewed regular season club soccer match in the U.S. in over 5 years.

Univision Network coverage of Liga MX outperformed the current season of the English Premier League on both NBC and NBC Sports Network by double and triple-digits. Liga MX on Univision Network delivered +128% more Total Viewers 2+, +102% more Adults 18-49 and +91% more young Adults 18-34 than EPL on NBCSN, and +15% more Total Viewers 2+, +19% more Adults 18-49 and +16% more young Adults 18-34 than EPL on NBC in the current 2014-2015 season.

On UniMás, viewership for Liga MX increased by +3% for Total Viewers 2+, +5% for Adults 18-49 and +11% for young Adults 18-34 vs. prior year. UniMás averaged 812,000 Total Viewers 2+, 477,000 Adults 18-49 and 237,000 young Adults 18-34 in the Clausura 2015 season, best since 2011, and the second most-viewed network for club soccer. On the cable front, Liga MX on UDN averaged 314,000 Total Viewers 2+, 188,000 Adults 18-49 and 95,000 young Adults 18-34 in the Clausura 2015 regular season, all new network records.  Liga MX on UDN audience increased +22% with Total Viewers 2+, +18% with Adults 18-49 and +40% with young Adults 18-34 vs. prior year. Liga MX on UDN registered more Adult 18-49 and young Adult 18-34 viewers than both live NBA games on NBA TV and live NHL games on NBCSN. Liga MX on UDN delivered +39% more Adults 18-49 than NBA on NBA TV, and +8% more Adults 18-49 than NHL on NBCSN. Among young Adults 18-34, Liga MX on UDN out-delivered NBA on NBA TV by +34%, and NHL on NBCSN by +8%…

…On May 9, Canelo Alvarez vs. James Kirkland at Minute Maid Park in Houston brought in an average viewership of 2,146,000 for the live HBO World Championship Boxing (WCB) first-time airing on HBO and peaked at 2,296,000 viewers.  Canelo vs. Kirkland is the top-performing bout on HBO’s flagship boxing platform since the Antonio Tarver-Bernard Hopkins light heavyweight title battle delivered 2,460,000 viewers in 2006. This also marked the Mexican superstar’s first appearance as a headliner on the HBO WCB platform….

…Back on May 6, more than a million viewers watched the UEFA Champions League semifinals on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports 1 saw its semifinals coverage notch 615,000 viewers for Barcelona’s win over Bayern Munich on May 6. A day earlier, Italian team Juventus bested Real Madrid, and reeled in 602,000 viewers. Meanwhile, FOX Deportes’ coverage of the Barcelona/Bayern Munich match pulled 502,000 viewers, making it the second most-watched UEFA Champions league match this season.  The match totaled 1.117 million viewers when English- and Spanish-language audiences are combined. (Sports TV Ratings)

 

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