Menu
Media

Audience Analysis: MLB Network Has Second-Most Watched Telecast Ever For WBC Final

MLB Network averaged 2.3 million viewers Wednesday night for Team USA's win over Puerto Rico in the final of the World Baseball Classic, marking the network's second-most watched telecast ever. Last year's Cubs-Giants NLDS Game 2 on MLB Net drew 4.6 million viewers. Wednesday night's game peaked with 2.5 million viewers between 10:30-11:00pm ET. MLB Net's previous high for a WBC game was 1.4 million viewers for Tuesday's Team USA-Japan semifinal. Wednesday now ranks as MLB Net's second-best viewership for both primetime (1.595 million) and total day (475,000). For the tournament overall, MLB Net averaged 377,000 viewers per game, up 32% from 285,000 in '13. Fifteen out of 40 games in '17, and 16 out of 39 in '13, aired in the overnight/early morning time period given their start times in Japan and Korea. 

FEELIN' KINDA SUNDAY: Fox drew 5.4 million viewers for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race from Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, down from 6.6 million viewers for last year's event at the samr track. Last year's event aired up against conference tournament basketball games, while this year's iteration saw NCAA Tournament second round competition. Meanwhile, NBC earned 2.1 million viewers Sunday afternoon for the final round of the PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational, which saw Marc Leishman win by a shot over Kevin Kisner and Charley Hoffman. The event's final round last year drew 2.9 million viewers. 

TELECAST
DATE
NET
TIME (ET)
RAT.
VIEWERS
(000)
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Kansas-Michigan State
3/19
CBS
5:00-7:30pm
6.5
10,960
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Kentucky-Wichita State
3/19
CBS
2:45-5:00pm
6.3
10,304
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Wisconsin-Villanova
3/18
CBS
2:45-5:15pm
5.9
9,377
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Gonzaga-Northwestern
3/18
CBS
5:15-7:45pm
5.2
8,698
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Michigan-Louisville
3/19
CBS
12:00-2:30pm
4.7
7,305
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Arizona-St. Mary's
3/18
CBS
8:15-10:30pm
3.8
6,507
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
South Carolina-Duke
3/19
TNT
8:44-11:22pm
3.4
5,956
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
West Virginia-Notre Dame
3/18
CBS
12:00-2:30pm
3.7
5,780
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series:
Camping World 500 (Phoenix)
3/19
Fox
3:45-7:00pm
3.3
5,389
NCAA Tournament: First Round:
Wisconsin-Virginia Tech
3/16
CBS
9:36-11:58pm
2.9
4,711
NCAA Tournament: First Round:
Wichita State-Dayton
3/17
CBS
7:00-9:38pm
2.8
4,652
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
North Carolina-Arkansas
3/19
TNT
6:00-8:23pm
2.6
4,536
NCAA Tournament: First Round:
Villanova-Mount St. Mary's
3/16
CBS
7:00-9:19pm
2.7
4,242
NCAA Tournament: First Round:
Kentucky-Northern Kentucky
3/17
CBS
10:00pm-12:20am
2.4
4,064
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
UCLA-Cincinnati
3/19
TBS
9:47-11:51pm
2.0
3,429
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Purdue-Iowa State
3/18
TBS
9:41-11:58pm
1.9
3,365
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Oregon-Rhode Island
3/19
TBS
7:00-9:25pm
1.7
3,056
NCAA Tournament: First Round:
Xavier-Maryland
3/16
TNT
6:38-9:08pm
1.7
2,926
NCAA Tournament: First Round:
Michigan State-Miami
3/17
TNT
9:19-11:30pm
n/a
2,298
NCAA Tournament: First Round:
Florida State-Florida Gulf Coast
3/16
TNT
9:27-11:54pm
n/a
2,291
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Xavier-Florida State
3/18
TNT
6:00-8:27pm
1.3
2,289
NCAA Tournament: Second Round:
Florida-Virginia
3/18
TNT
8:44-10:58pm
1.3
2,243
PGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational:
Final Round
3/19
NBC
2:30-6:00pm
1.4
2,115
NASCAR Xfinity Series:
DC Solar 200 (Phoenix)
3/18
Fox
4:15-6:30pm
1.2
1,853
NBA: Cavaliers-Clippers
3/18
ABC
8:29-10:56pm
1.0
1,647
PGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational:
Third Round
3/18
NBC
2:30-6:00pm
1.1
1,599
EPL: Manchester City-Liverpool
3/19
NBC
12:30-2:30pm
0.7
1,022
Liga MX: Leon-Toluca
3/18
Univision
8:00-11:00pm
0.5
967
Monster Energy Supercross
(Indianapolis)
3/18
Fox
7:00-10:10pm
0.5
813
Special Olympics World Games:
Opening Ceremony (taped)
3/18
ABC
2:00-5:00pm
0.5
798
USSA World Cup Finals:
Women's Slalom
3/18
NBC
12:30-2:00pm
0.4
603
"World of X Games:
Best of Norway 2017"
3/19
ABC
3:00-5:00pm
0.4
531
Special Olympics World Games (taped)
3/19
ABC
2:00-3:00pm
0.4
518

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2017/03/24/Media/Audience.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2017/03/24/Media/Audience.aspx

CLOSE