FS1 and FS2 saw Q2 viewership benefit from increased NASCAR race coverage this year, with both nets seeing large gains in both primetime and for total-day audience. This was the first year of a new NASCAR TV deal, and FS1 broadcasted six Sprint Cup races and aired Xfinity Series races for the first time. FS1 saw Q2 primetime viewership spike 75%, while total day was up 83%. FS2 was similarly up 78% and 44%, respectively. FS1 and FS2 also had the benefit of Fox Sports' first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage, while FS1 carried early rounds of the U.S. Open for the first time.
SEASON’S GREETINGS: MLB Network had its best quarter ever in terms of viewership. The net drew 214,000 viewers in primetime and 117,000 viewers for total day, up 3% and 11%, respectively, from the previous records set during Q2 last year. MLB Net’s live game telecasts in Q2 also saw a 15% jump from the same time last year. That includes MLB Net’s most-viewed Opening Day on record and most-viewed regular-season total-day audience (April 10). MLB Net’s May and June audiences also were records for those respective months.
MISSING PIECES: ESPN saw its primetime audience drop 11% in Q2, with total-day audience down 25%. The net this year in Q2 was without Xfinity Series coverage and early-round U.S. Open coverage. ESPN also had the men’s World Cup last year and nothing comparable in ’15. Some marquee events like the College World Series saw big drops in audience in Q2 (-30%). For ESPN, the net’s total-day audience of 686,000 viewers was its lowest for Q2 in at least a decade.
NOTES: Golf Channel drew 124,000 viewers for total day in Q2, which is a tie with '13 for its best Q2 on record. However, primetime audience for the net was down 7%. Other cable nets seeing primetime viewership drops for Q2 included NBCSN, ESPN2 and NBA TV. Golf Channel did remain the most-affluent cable net (all of TV) in both primetime and total day.
Listed below is primetime and total-day viewership for cable sports nets in Q2, with comparisons to recent years. Several sports nets do not subscribe to regular ratings reports and are not listed below (i.e. Big Ten Network, NHL Network, Pac-12 Networks, SEC Network).
|
Q2 CABLE SPORTS NET VIEWERSHIP
|
|
PRIMETIME
|
'15 (000)
|
'14 (000)
|
'13 (000)
|
'12 (000)
|
'11 (000)
|
|
ESPN
|
1,553
|
1,751
|
1,348
|
1,987
|
1,674
|
|
NBCSN
|
679
|
725
|
619
|
530
|
552
|
|
FS1*
|
453
|
259
|
206
|
226
|
276
|
|
ESPN2
|
358
|
461
|
415
|
470
|
479
|
|
MLB Network
|
214
|
208
|
184
|
154
|
143
|
|
Golf Channel
|
147
|
158
|
162
|
164
|
144
|
|
NFL Network
|
119
|
132
|
114
|
110
|
80
|
|
NBA TV
|
89
|
127
|
98
|
111
|
98
|
|
ESPNews
|
86
|
100
|
103
|
95
|
75
|
|
ESPNU
|
73
|
85
|
84
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
Fox Deportes
|
65
|
68
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
FS2*
|
41
|
23
|
39
|
35
|
60
|
|
beIN Sports
|
37
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
TOTAL DAY
|
'15 (000)
|
'14 (000)
|
'13 (000)
|
'12 (000)
|
'11 (000)
|
|
ESPN
|
686
|
911
|
715
|
892
|
818
|
|
ESPN2
|
223
|
255
|
244
|
268
|
266
|
|
FS1*
|
208
|
114
|
128
|
128
|
151
|
|
NBCSN
|
176
|
195
|
155
|
131
|
143
|
|
Golf Channel
|
125
|
122
|
125
|
116
|
90
|
|
MLB Network
|
117
|
105
|
83
|
73
|
65
|
|
NFL Network
|
73
|
79
|
75
|
70
|
50
|
|
NBA TV
|
52
|
59
|
52
|
59
|
50
|
|
ESPNews
|
51
|
59
|
64
|
65
|
50
|
|
ESPNU
|
42
|
46
|
44
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
Fox Deportes
|
32
|
37
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
FS2*
|
23
|
16
|
31
|
27
|
31
|
|
beIN Sports
|
22
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHART NOTES: The Q2 measuring period was March 30-June 28. The measuring period for Q2 last year was March 31-June 29. * = Speed became FS1 on Aug. 17, 2013, and Fuel TV on the same day became FS2.
