Ratings Roundup: NBC Closes Out Wimbledon on Down Note; MLB Network Sees Major Gains

Ratings for NBC’s final Breakfast at Wimbledon broadcasts were up from last year but still well below 2009, the last time Americans appeared in both the Men’s and Women’s Singles Finals. The Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal Men’s Final on Sunday earned a 2.1 overnight rating — up 11% from last year (Berdych-Nadal: 1.9) but down 50% from 2009 (Federer-Roddick: 4.2). The match was second only to 2009 as the lowest-rated Men’s Final since 1996. The Women’s Final between Petra Kvitová and Maria Sharapova logged a 1.8 overnight, even with last year (S. Williams-Zvonareva: 1.8) but down 33% from 2009 (S. Williams-V. Williams: 2.7). The 1.8 ties the lowest overnight for the Women’s Final since 1994…

MLB Network’s second quarter registered a 49% increase in viewers in primetime as well as a 42% increase in total day over the same period in 2010. Some of those numbers are strengthened by MLB Network series MLB Tonight, which saw a 53% rise in viewers. In addition, the channel’s new afternoon shows, The Rundown in the 3-5 p.m. slot and Intentional Talk at 5-6 p.m., grew viewership by 97% and 73%, respectively, in live-plus-same-day ratings…

…TNT’s coverage of NASCAR’s Coke Zero 400 notched a 3.4 U.S. rating and 6.029 million viewers on Saturday night, a season high for the network. However, those numbers were down 6% in rating and 2% in viewership from last year (3.6, 6.127 million). The race was the top program of the week on cable. Through four races, TNT is averaging a 3.2 U.S. rating and 5.312 million viewers for NASCAR coverage. The network averaged a 3.0 and 4.990 million for its full six-race slate last year…

…The 2011 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest drew 1.949 million viewers on ESPN Monday afternoon, up 16% from last year (1.677 million) and up 45% from 2009 (1.340 million).

…UFC 132’s UFC Prelims special on Spike TV averaged just 1.2 million viewers, 100,000 viewers off the series low. Overall, the July 2 broadcast scored a 0.8 household rating and a peak audience of 1.3 million viewers. To date, Spike TV has aired 19 UFC Prelims broadcasts. The all-time record for viewership was set in February when 2 million viewers tuned in for the special for UFC 126. UFC 131 scored 1.6 million viewers last month.

 

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