The overnight Nielsen ratings for the Final Four telecasts on CBS led all weekend sports telecasts. Meanwhile, Fox saw a slight increase for its coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway (4.0 vs. 3.9). NBC also saw gains for its PGA Tour coverage. The Valero Texas Open, which aired on CBS last year, scored a 2.1 overnight for the final round yesterday, which saw Martin Laird hold off Rory McIlroy for the win. That figure is up 31% from a 1.6 overnight last year, when Ben Curtis won the event (McIlroy did not play). MLB coverage also began on Fox this weekend, with the net scoring a 2.3 overnight for regional coverage (Yankees-Tigers in 48% of markets, Cardinals-Giants in 32%). That figure is flat compared to Fox' first telecast last season, which did not air on Final Four weekend.
That chart below lists overnight Nielsen ratings from weekend sports telecasts on broadcast TV.
| TELECAST |
DATE
|
NET
|
TIME (ET)
|
RAT.
|
| "ESPN Sports Saturday" |
4/6
|
ABC
|
4:00-6:00pm
|
0.6
|
| "Best of College Basketball 2013" |
4/6
|
CBS
|
1:00-2:00pm
|
0.5
|
| High School Slam Dunk & 3-Point Contest |
4/6
|
CBS
|
2:00-3:00pm
|
0.7
|
| "NCAA Fandemonium" |
4/6
|
CBS
|
3:00-3:30pm
|
0.7
|
| "NCAA Human Highlight Reel" |
4/6
|
CBS
|
3:30-4:00pm
|
0.6
|
| NCAA Final Four: Louisville-Wichita State |
4/6
|
CBS
|
6:00-8:30pm
|
8.9
|
| NCAA Final Four: Michigan-Syracuse |
4/6
|
CBS
|
8:45-11:00pm
|
10.2
|
| MLB: (regional) |
4/6
|
Fox
|
4:00-7:00pm
|
2.3
|
| National Heads Up Poker Championship |
4/6
|
NBC
|
1:00-3:00pm
|
0.5
|
| PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open: Third Round |
4/6
|
NBC
|
3:00-6:00pm
|
1.4
|
| "NBA Countdown" |
4/7
|
ABC
|
12:30-1:00pm
|
1.2
|
| NBA: Knicks-Thunder |
4/7
|
ABC
|
1:00-3:30pm
|
2.8
|
| NBA: Lakers-Clippers |
4/7
|
ABC
|
3:30-6:00pm
|
3.6
|
| Pro Bull Riding |
4/7
|
CBS
|
1:00-2:00pm
|
0.6
|
| NCAA Basketball All-Star Game |
4/7
|
CBS
|
2:00-4:00pm
|
0.5
|
NCAA Basketball D-II Championship:
Metro State-Drury |
4/7
|
CBS
|
4:00-6:30pm
|
0.6
|
| NASCAR Sprint Cup: STP Gas Booster 500 |
4/7
|
Fox
|
1:15-5:00pm
|
4.0
|
| NHL: Blues-Red Wings |
4/7
|
NBC
|
12:30-3:00pm
|
0.7
|
| PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open: Final Round |
4/7
|
NBC
|
3:00-6:00pm
|
2.1
|
