ESPN, Speed Channel Viewership Up Double Digits For Q1 Of '09

By Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor

ESPN saw double-digit viewership increases for both total-day and primetime programming during Q1 of '09 compared with the same period a year ago. The net saw increased viewership from a strong Big East men's regular season basketball schedule. The net's telecast of the Big East Conference Tournament also posted its best viewership since '90, averaging 1.76 million viewers. ESPN2 saw gains as well, up 1.9% for total-day and 5.9% for primetime. Speed Channel continued building on a strong '08 performance with double-digit year-over-year gains to start '09. Meanwhile, ESPNews saw a significant drop for total-day programming during Q1, down 21.2% from a year ago. The net's primetime viewership was off 5.6%. ESPN Classic, which could soon be relegated to cable sports tiers in a swap for ESPNU, was even in total-day viewership and off 10.1% in primetime for Q1 of '09. The chart below lists total-day viewership for select cable sports nets during Q1 of '09 (December 29-March 29), as well as viewership in primetime, with comparisons to Q1 of '08 (December 31-March 30).

THEY KNOW DRAMA: NBA regular-season games on TNT during Q1 of '09 (excludes All-Star telecasts) averaged 1.812 million viewers (1.4 cable rating), up 25.4% from 1.445 million viewers (1.3 cable rating) for the Q1 last year. The Cavaliers-Lakers matchup on Martin Luther King Day was the net's most-viewed regular-season matchup during Q1, earning 3.7 million viewers. TNT's telecast of the NBA All-Star Game on February 25 was the third-most-viewed telecast on all of ad-supported cable for Q1 with 7.6 million viewers, and also ranked as the top cable telecast for the quarter in adults and males 18-34 and 18-49, as well as males 25-54.

ALL THINGS CIRCULAR: ESPN2 is averaging 2.864 million viewers (2.1 cable rating) through the first three telecasts of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, down slightly from 2.878 million viewers for three telecasts during Q1 last year. Figures from the Stater Bros. 300 on February 25 last year are excluded, as the race was rained out and run on a Monday. On Speed Channel during Q1 this year, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is averaging 1.545 million viewers (1.6 cable rating) for its two race telecasts, up 12.6% from 1.372 million viewers (1.4 cable rating) for the same races last year.

TOP TELECASTS: NBA telecasts on TNT took four of the top 10 spots among the most-viewed cable sports telecasts during Q1, while five ESPN bowl games also made the top 10. The chart below lists the top 10 most-viewed sports telecasts on cable for Q1.