Ratings Roundup: NBA Game Viewership up 10% From Last Season Across Networks
Story Highlights
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, Monday Night Football on ESPN hits 19.4 million viewers;most viewed NCAA Volleyball Semifinals Ever on ESPN Platforms and more.
ESPN And ABC NBA Game Viewership Up 16 Percent From Last Season
NBA game viewership across ESPN and ABC is up 16 percent from last season, according to Nielsen. The 29 game broadcasts are averaging 1,712,000 viewers, compared to 1,469,000 last year.
Game viewership across ESPN and ABC is also up 26 percent in the P18-34 demo and up 37 percent amongst Hispanic viewers from this time last season.
In addition, NBA Countdown – ESPN and ABC’s NBA pregame show – is averaging 664,000 viewers, which is the highest pre-Christmas audience average since 2018. It is up three percent from last year.
The NBA on ESPN continues on Friday, December 22, as the Golden State Warriors hosts the Washington Wizards at 10 p.m. ET. The ESPN telecast is subject to local blackout restrictions in Golden State’s home market. Beth Mowins, analyst Stephanie White and reporter Andraya Carter will call the action.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football Draws More than 19.4 Million Viewers, Setting Another Franchise Weekly Record
ESPN’s Monday Night Football presentation of the Philadelphia Eagles at the Seattle Seahawks (Dec. 18, 8:15 p.m. ET) delivered an audience of more than 19.4 million viewers, becoming the most-watched Week 15 MNF game in the ESPN era (2006 – present). The audience of 19,403,000 (ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, and NFL+) is up 21% year-over-year from Rams at Packers, which also aired on the same platforms. Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli registered an audience of 1.15 million viewers.
Eagles-Seahawks ranks as Monday Night Football’s fourth most-watched edition of the season and ESPN’s seventh most-watched game since 2006.
- The late second-half action averaged 20.3 million viewers (10:30 – 11:15 p.m.).
- Monday Night Football was the most-watched telecast of the night across all networks, with ABC and ESPN also representing the two most-watched networks of the night.
Monday Night Football Up 23% Year-Over-Year
Season-to-date, Monday Night Football is averaging 16 million viewers, up 23% inclusive of all linear games (18 games vs. 16 games), despite the Week 3 and Week 14 presentation of two games vs. last season’s singular game in the same weeks. Excluding this year’s Week 3 and Week 14, Monday Night Football would be up 36% year-over-year, averaging 17.6 million viewers.
NFL on FOX Runs Week 15 with AMERICA’S GAME OF THE WEEK
- Most-watched telecast of the week on any network
- Up +23% over last year’s comparable window (21,4555,000)
16,435,000 viewers
- FOX NFL Week 15 regional average viewership is up +11% over last season’s comparable window (14,832,000)
ESPN Scores Most-Watched NCAA Volleyball Match in History
2023 NCAA D1 Women’s Volleyball National Championship (UT Austin v. Nebraska) averaged 1.7 million viewers on ABC
- Most-watched college volleyball match in history
- Peaked with 2.1 million viewers
- 1.8 million v viewers during match window only
- Viewership +115% overall and +151% among female viewers
- Female viewers made up +51% of audience
ESPN Serves Up Most-Watched NCAA Volleyball Semifinals Ever on ESPN Platforms
2023 NCAA Volleyball National Semifinals averaged 1.1 million viewers on ESPN +52% over 2022
- Pitt v. Nebraska
- 1.1 million viewers
- +49% YoY
- UT Austin v. Wisconsin
- 1.1 million viewers
- +55% YoY
- Most watched NCAA Volleyball Semifinals ever on ESPN platforms
- 2 of the top 4 volleyball matches ever on ESPN platforms
- Top cable telecasts of the day among p18-p49 viewers
- Female audience +49%
Raiders’ Historic Blowout Over the Chargers draws 7.98M
The Las Vegas Raiders came out with guns blazing last night on Thursday Night Football, running to a score of 49-0 in the 3rd Quarter before settling into a 63-21 rout over the Los Angeles Chargers. The historic blowout drew an average of 7.98 million viewers and marked the first time this season that TNF did not post a double-digit, year-over-year viewership increase over the comparable game from a year ago. Heading into last night’s game, Prime Video was riding an unprecedented 12-game run of double-digit growth. Per Nielsen, never before had an NFL package of games produced such a streak when presented on the same channel and at the same time as the previous year. Below, find viewership highlights from last night, as well as season-to-date figures and trends.
- According to Nielsen National TV Ratings (panel only), TNF on Prime Video averaged 7.98 million viewers on Thursday night, down 23% from last year’s comparable TNF game (10.31M for 49ers vs. Seahawks, 12/15/22).
- Season-to-date, TNF is averaging 12.07M total viewers, an increase of +25% vs. last season’s 13-game average on Prime Video (9.67M).
- TNF’s 2023 13-game average is up +26% in total viewers over last year’s full-season average (12.07M vs. 9.58M).
- Despite the lopsided score, as it has every week this season, TNF won the night among total viewers across all linear cable and broadcast programming (+78% over the No. 2 program).
- Among viewers in the coveted P18-34 demographic, TNF on Prime averaged 1.52M, and outperformed all programming on Thursday (+441% over the No. 2 program).
- Season-to-date, TNF is averaging 2.47M within the P18-34 demographic, an increase of +14% over last year’s 13-game average in the demo.
- Among viewers in the P18-49 demographic, TNF on Prime averaged 3.49M, and outperformed all programming on Thursday (+364% over the No. 2 program).
- Season-to-date, TNF is averaging 5.63M within the P18-49 demographic, an increase of +17% over last year’s 13-game average in the demo.
- Among Female viewers, TNF is averaging 3.91M this season, an increase of +32% over last year’s 13-game average in the F2+ demo.
- Season-to-date, TNF on Prime’s median age is 48, which is 7 years younger than audiences watching the NFL on linear networks (55), and 14 years younger than audiences watching prime time broadcast television (62).
- Through 13 weeks, TNF Tonight, TNF on Prime Video’s pregame show that kicks off each week at 7PM EST, is averaging 1.42M viewers, which is an increase of +24% over last year’s 13-game average (1.14M).
- Through 12 weeks (the most recent available postgame show data), TNF Nightcap is averaging 1.93M viewers, which is an increase of +17% over last year’s 12-game average (1.64M), and outperforming all head-to-head programming across broadcast and cable.
- According to Nielsen’s custom Integrated Live Streaming Report,* Prime Video averaged 8.83 million viewers (AMA) across all media platforms during last night’s game, and is averaging 13.21M through 13 games in that metric. Please note that Nielsen’s custom Integrated Live Streaming Report is currently under review by the Media Rating Council and is not presently accredited.
