Ratings Roundup: NBC Sports Begins Last Stanley Cup Finals on Quiet Note; NBA Conference Finals Numbers Taper Off

Ratings roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, NBC’s final Stanley Cup Final is off to a quiet start, NBA Conference Finals taper off after a hot semifinals round, NBC Sports delivers second most-watched U.S. Open Championship in five years, and more.

NBC’s Stanley Cup Final Off to Quiet Start

Monday’s Canadiens-Lightning Stanley Cup Final Game 1 averaged a 0.8 rating and 1.57 million viewers on NBCSN (1.67 million including additional streaming data not tracked by Nielsen), down 25% in ratings and 26% in viewership from Stars-Lightning on NBC last year, which aired on a college football Saturday in September (1.1, 2.12M), but down 71% and 70% respectively from Blues-Bruins on NBC in 2019, which aired on Memorial Day (2.9, 5.25M).

Tampa Bay’s win, which peaked with 1.78 million viewers, ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched Stanley Cup Final opener since 2007 (Senators-Ducks: 0.5, 769K), with the caveat that all-but-one of the previous games aired on NBC, rather than NBCSN. The last opener to air on NBCSN (then Versus) was Penguins-Red Wings in 2008, which drew a 1.2 and 2.35 million.

Through Game 1, the Stanley Cup Playoffs has averaged 924,000 viewers across the NBC TV and digital platforms, up 7% from last year in the “bubble” (864K). By comparison, the 2019 posteason averaged 1.18 million entering the Cup Final (averages through Game 1 were not available). Figures for Friday’s Islanders-Lightning semifinal Game 7 were not immediately available. (SportsMediaWatch)

Update on NBA Playoff Numbers

Monday’s Clippers-Suns NBA Western Conference Finals Game 5 averaged 5.74 million viewers on ESPN, up 20% from last year’s clinching Nuggets-Lakers Game 5 in the “bubble” on TNT, which aired on a college football Saturday (4.79M), and the most-watched game of the conference finals thus far. For the postseason, the Clippers’ win ranks third behind a pair of semifinal Game 7s (Bucks-Nets: 6.91M; Hawks-Sixers: 6.16M) and ahead Warriors-Lakers in the Play-in Tournament (5.62M).

Game 5 ranks as the most-watched NBA telecast on ESPN since the clinching Warriors-Blazers Game 4 in the 2019 Western Conference Finals (7.79M), and the network’s top game that did not include the Warriors or LeBron James since a Thunder-Clippers second round game in 2014 (6.40M).

Saturday’s Game 4 of the series averaged a 2.8 rating and 5.54 million viewers, up a tick in ratings and 20% in viewership from Lakers-Nuggets opposite Thursday Night Football last year (2.7, 4.60M) but down 40% and 29% respectively from the aforementioned 2019 Warriors-Blazers clincher (4.7, 7.79M).

Shifting to the East, Sunday’s Bucks-Hawks Game 3 averaged a 3.1 rating and 5.60 million viewers on TNT — up 55% in ratings and 47% in viewership from Celtics-Heat on a college football Saturday last year (2.0, 3.81M) but down 16% and 9% respectively from Bucks-Raptors in 2019 (3.7, 6.16M). The Bucks’ Game 2 rout of the Hawks Friday night averaged a mere 2.0 and 3.70 million.

As for the Conference Semifinals, ESPN, TNT, and EBC garnered 3.5 million viewers – an increased of 39% from 2020. On the East Coast, a pair of Game 7s provided the most-viewed payed off this season, with Bucks vs. Nets on TNT at 6.9 million viewers and Hawks vs. 76ers on TNT at 6.7 million viewers. Global viewership on NBA League Pass is also up 22% from last year. (Twitter)

NBC Sports Delivers Second Most-Watched U.S. Open Championship in Five Years

NBC Sports’ comprehensive coverage of the 121st U.S. Open Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif., delivered the second most-watched U.S. Open in five years, one of many viewership milestones for the championship across NBC and GOLF Channel last week.

Final round coverage on NBC (12-8:36 p.m. ET) averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 5.7 million viewers, up 76% vs. 2020, marking the network’s most-watched golf telecast since the 2018 Tour Championship, won by Tiger Woods. Viewership peaked at nearly 9 million viewers (8.932 million) in the 8-8:15 p.m. ET quarter hour, as Jon Rahm defeated Louis Oosthuizen by one shot for his first career major championship win.

Coverage across NBC and GOLF Channel – which totaled nearly 40 hours across the four days – averaged a TAD of 3.1 million viewers, up 43% vs. 2020 to rank as the second most-watched U.S. Open in five years only behind the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which featured Tiger Woods in contention for all four days. Early round coverage across the NBC and GOLF Channel averaged 1.7 million viewers, also the second most-watched early rounds behind 2019.

The U.S. Open also produced viewership milestones for GOLF Channel. Friday’s second-round coverage (12:30-6 p.m. ET) averaged nearly 1.4 million TV-only viewers to rank as the network’s most-watched weekday telecast on record (since 2006).

Friday’s primetime Live From the U.S. Open studio coverage (10 p.m. – 12 a.m. ET) averaged 247,000 viewers – up 24% vs. the comparable Friday coverage in 2020 and up 129% vs. 2019. Overall, Live From the U.S. Open primetime coverage averaged 147,000 viewers, up 32% vs. 2019. (NBC Sports)

PGA Tour Hartford Tournament Hits 19-Year High

Final round coverage of the PGA Tour Hartford tournament, which stretched more than an hour into primetime, averaged 3.97 million viewers on CBS Sunday — up 30% from last year (3.07M), up 83% from 2019 (2.17M) and the largest audience for the event since 2002. The telecast, which peaked with 6.66 million viewers from 8 PM ET to the conclusion, delivered the sixth-largest golf audience of the year and the third-largest with majors excluded. Only the final rounds of the Players (4.59M) and at Pebble Beach (4.19M) rank higher outside of the majors. (SportsMediaWatch)

NBC Sports Delivers Strong NASCAR and IndyCar Viewership From Nashville and Road America

NBC Sports’ coverage of the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series’ return to Nashville and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at Road America delivered viewership milestones.

NASCAR

• NBC Sports began its coverage of the 2021 NASCAR season with the Cup Series’ return to Nashville. The race at Nashville Superspeedway (4:02-7:40 p.m. ET) averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 2.619 million viewers, up 8% vs. the last time NBC Sports’ season coverage opened in June (Chicagoland, 2.428 million TAD).
• Viewership was up 22% compared to last year’s weekend Cup Series average viewership on NBCSN (2.152 million viewers TAD).
• NBCSN ranked as the No. 1 cable network across all key demos during the race window.
• Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Nashville Superspeedway on NBCSN (3:50-6:13 p.m. ET) produced a TAD of 1.069 million viewers, up 30% and 26% vs. NBCSN’s average Xfinity Series viewership in 2020 and 2019, respectively. This ranks as NBCSN’s most-watched Xfinity Series race since Homestead in 2019 (1.211 million TAD).

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

• Coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES REV Group Grand Prix at Road America produced a TAD of 807,000 viewers, making it the most-watched INDYCAR race on cable since Mid-Ohio in 2016 (NBCSN/CNBC simulcast, 934,000 TAD).
• Overall, the race is NBCSN’s third most-watched INDYCAR race on record, behind Mid-Ohio in 2016 and the championship race at Sonoma in 2015.
• NBC Sports is off to its best-ever season of INDYCAR viewership on NBCSN, averaging a TAD of 530,000 viewers across the first three races, up 59% vs. 2020 and 38% vs. 2019. (NBC Sports)

Double Down for NASCAR at Pocono

Race two of the NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Pocono averaged a 1.5 rating and 2.45 million viewers on NBCSN Sunday afternoon, down a tick in ratings and 8% in viewership from last year on FS1 (1.6, 2.66M). Race one on Saturday had just a 0.9 and 1.45 million, down 45% and 44% respectively from last year on FOX (1.6, 2.57M) and the least-watched Cup Series race on any network since at least 2000 (excludes rainouts and makeup races).

The Saturday race peaked at 1.7 million viewers and the Sunday race at 2.8 million.

In other NASCAR action, Sunday’s Xfinity Series race at Pocono pulled a 0.67 (-12%) and 1.09 million (-7%) on NBCSN, while Saturday’s Truck Series race there drew a 0.33 (+32%) and 497,000 (+30%) on FS1. (SportsMediaWatch)

Formula 1 Ratings for French, Styrian Grand Prix

Sunday’s Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix on ESPN attracted an average audience of 914,000 viewers, making it the most-viewed F1 race on record from Austria.

• The race had the 9th largest audience on record for F1 on cable in the U.S.
• The audience was the fourth-largest of the 2021 season.
• Audience peaked between 10:15 – 10:30 a.m. ET with 1.18 million viewers.
• F1 averaging 928K viewers – up 53% over ’20 (608K) and 38% over ’19 (672K). (ESPN)

Two weeks ago, the French Grand Prix on ESPN attracted an average audience of 1.056 million viewers, making it the most-viewed F1 race of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

• Second-largest F1 cable audience on record – largest was 1994 Brazilian GP (1.74 million)
• Largest audience since 2019 Canadian GP on ABC (1.13 million)
• Audience peaked between 10:15 – 10:30 a.m. ET with 1,254,000 viewers.

NESN Delivers Strong Viewership for Red Sox-Yankees Series at Home

NESN’s coverage of two Red Sox matchups this weekend delivered the highest ratings in the Household (HH) and Adult 25-54 (A25-54) demographics since Opening Day against the Baltimore Orioles on July 24, 2020.

NESN’s coverage of Friday’s 7 p.m. Red Sox game against the Yankees produced a 7.10 HH rating, and 3.64 in the A25-54 demographic. Sunday’s 1 p.m. matinee delivered a 6.04 in the Household demographic and a 2.56 in A25-54. These broadcasts mark the two highest-rated Red Sox matchups, respectively, since Opening Day 2020. Saturday’s matchup was not televised on NESN.

Viewership for the Red Sox on NESN this season is up 84% on the Household level versus last year’s full season average rating, and up 72% as compared to last year’s season average for A25-54. In addition, Adults 18-34 is up 53% versus last year and touts the highest rating since 2011. (NESN)