Ratings Roundup: 4 Nations Tournament Sees Viewership Highs Across All Games, Over 100% Increase Since 2016 Tournament

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, more than 6 million fans tuned in to the Daytona 500; NBA All-Star game sees record social media engagement and more.

ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield on Record

• Averaged 144,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, up 97% YoY.
• Up 3% from previous all-time high in 2022.
• Alabama-Oklahoma State (ESPN) was the most-watched game of the
  tournament with 429,000 viewers.
• Third most-watched Clearwater game in the history of the tournament
• ESPN+ viewership up 134% YoY.

4 Nations Face-Off: Finland-Sweden Game Delivers 1.30M Viewers; USA-Canada Game Delivers 4.44M Viewers 

• Finland – Sweden
  • 1.30M viewers
    • Peak 1.7M
  • +254% vs. ESPN’s World Cup of Hockey Average audience in 2016
  • +39% vs. NHL on ABC’s average this season
• USA – Canada
  • 4.44M viewers
    • Peak 5.2M
  • +479% from ESPN’s World Cup of Hockey USA – Canada game in 2016
• Averaging 2.43M viewers through 3 games on ESPN platforms
  • +563% vs. 2016’s World Cup of Hockey average on ESPN

FOX Races to Top Sports Event of the Weekend

6,761,000 viewers watched William Byron go back-to-back with a dramatic win at the season-opening Daytona 500 Sunday on FOX.

• Up +13% from last year’s 5,964,000 from Daytona
• The rain-delayed race peaked at 7,959,000 viewers from 2:06 to 2:15 PM ET
• Ranks as the most-watched sports event of the weekend

The CW Network Delivers 1.8 Million Total Viewers for NASCAR Xfinity Series Season Opener

NASCAR and The CW Network today announced that Saturday’s 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona on The CW delivered the largest audience for any Xfinity Series race in almost three years, with 1.8 million total viewers, according to Nielsen fast national ratings.

The CW is quickly establishing itself as a must-see destination for live sports, with the race ranking as the most-viewed Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona since 2020 and the most-watched Xfinity Series race since Talladega in April 2022. Viewership peaked at 2.2 million total viewers in the 7:30 p.m. ET quarter hour, as the drivers raced to a thrilling conclusion which saw Jesse Love cross the finish line first at the legendary Daytona International Speedway.

Compared to last year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series weather impacted opener at Daytona, viewership was up 93% in total viewers and rose by double digit percentages across key demos including +76% in Adults 18-49 (330,000) and +47% in Adults 25-54 (444,000). Viewership was also up double-digit percentages compared to The CW’s final playoff race last year from Phoenix in total viewers (+62%), Adults 18-49 (+74%) and Adults 25-54 (+78%), a clear sign that race fans are flocking to The CW as the new home of the NASCAR Xfinity Series and a strong start to a partnership that will entertain audiences for the next seven years.

The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series continues on The CW this Saturday, February 22 from Atlanta Motor Speedway. Coverage begins with NASCAR COUNTDOWN LIVE (4:30-5:00 p.m. ET) hosted by Carla Metts, with the race beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET. Adam Alexander serves as lead play-by-play announcer alongside analysts Jamie McMurray and Parker Kligerman. Dillon Welch and Kim Coon serve as pit reporters.

4 Nations Face-Off: USA-Canada Game Delivers 4.4M Viewers; Most-Viewed Non-Stanley Cup Final Hockey Telecast Since 2019

• +473% vs. ESPN’s World Cup of Hockey USA-Canada game in 2016
• +369% vs. NHL on ABC’s average this season
• Most-viewed non-Stanley Cup Final hockey telecast since 2019

NBA All-Star 2025 Delivered Record Social Media Engagement for Friday and Saturday Night With One Billion Views and Growing

NBA All-Star 2025 delivered record social media engagement for Friday and Saturday night with one billion views and growing across all league social media accounts. The one billion views do not include additional engagement across non-league accounts. Social media views are up 17% vs. the same time period last year.

The NBA’s account on TikTok had its most-viewed day ever on Saturday, generating more than 100 million views, led by Mac McClung’s spectacular dunk over the 2025 Kia K5 GT.  Social media chatter around the 2025 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game is up 43% vs. last year, driven by Kai Cenat and Druski content.

4 Nations Face-Off: USA-Finland Game Delivers 1.5 Million Viewers; Most-Viewed Non-Playoff Hockey Game on ESPN

• +323% vs. ESPN’s World Cup of Hockey average audience in 2016
• +2776% vs. ESPN’s prime time game average this season
• +170% total viewers vs. ESPN/ABC game average this season
• Larger audience than any All-Star Game in ABC since reacquiring the rights