The following lists final Nielsen ratings from recent sports events (THE DAILY).
| EVENT | DATE | NET | TIME | RAT/SHR |
| PGA: The Tour Champ. - 3rd Rd. | 11/2 | ABC | 1:00-3:30pm | 2.0/5 |
| NCAA Football: (regional) | 11/2 | ABC | 3:30-7:00pm | 4.2/10 |
| "Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon" | 11/2 | CBS | 2:00-3:00pm | 0.6/2 |
| "College Football Today" | 11/2 | CBS | 3:00-3:30pm | 0.8/2 |
| NCAA Football: TN-SC | 11/2 | CBS | 3:30-6:45pm | 1.9/5 |
| NCAA Football: BC-Notre Dame | 11/2 | NBC | 2:30-6:00pm | 4.4/11 |
| Skate America | 11/3 | ABC | 1:00-2:00pm | 1.5/4 |
| PGA: The Tour Champ. - Final Rd. | 11/3 | ABC | 2:00-5:00pm | 2.1/4 |
| Skate America | 11/3 | ABC | 5:00-6:00pm | 2.5/5 |
| "The NFL Today" | 11/3 | CBS | 12:00-1:00pm | 2.3/6 |
| "NFL On CBS": (regional) | 11/3 | CBS | 1:00-7:00pm | 9.2/21 |
| Arete Honors for Courage in Sports | 11/3 | CBS | 5:00-6:00pm | 1.3/3 |
| "Fox NFL Sunday" | 11/3 | Fox | 12:00-1:00pm | 3.5/9 |
| "NFL On Fox": (regional) | 11/3 | Fox | 1:00-4:00pm | 7.3/16 |
| "NFL On Fox": 49ers-Raiders (80%) | 11/3 | Fox | 4:15-7:30pm | 13.5/26 |
| "Hallmark Skaters Championship" | 11/3 | NBC | 1:00-3:00pm | 1.9/4 |
| NYC Marathon | 11/3 | NBC | 3:00-4:00pm | 1.3/3 |
| Gravity Games | 11/3 | NBC | 4:00-6:00pm | 1.4/3 |
| |
| EVENT | | DATE | NET | US AREA | COV AREA | SHR | 0 |
| NCAA | Football: NC State-Clemson | 10/24 | ESPN | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2 | 1358 |
| NCAA | Football: Iowa-Michigan | 10/26 | ESPN | 1.6 | 2 | 5 | 1702 |
| NCAA | Football: AL-TN | 10/26 | ESPN | 1.9 | 2.3 | 4 | 1974 |
| NFL: | Colts-Redskins | 10/27 | ESPN | 3.6 | 4.4 | 6 | 3789 |
For broadcast numbers, one ratings point = 1,067,000 homes. "COV AREA" = % of homes tuned into that program in that network's universe of subscribers.
NFL SEASON-TO-DATE: Total viewers for NFL games are up 9% (14 million vs. 12.9 million per game through nine weeks). Per-game ratings among men 18-34 are up 19% (8.1 vs. 6.8), up 14% among men 18-49 (8.4 vs. 7.4). NFL games have been the top-ranked program locally 67% of the time this season, up from 49% last year (NFL). The "NFL on Fox" is averaging a 10.2/22 season-to-date, up 5% against last year's 9.7/21. "Fox NFL Sunday" is down 15%, a 3.5/10 from last year's 4.1/11. Meanwhile, the "NFL on CBS" is averaging a 9.3/21, a 4% increase over last year's 8.9/19. "The NFL Today" is down 7%, a 2.5/7 vs. a 2.7/7 (THE DAILY). Fox Sports President Ed Goren, on the increases: "The final chapter hasn't been written, and we're not celebrating yet. Still, it's been a great nine weeks so far" (AP, 11/7). SI's "Scorecard" grades the NFL pregame shows, giving ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" an "A," "Fox NFL Sunday" a "B+" and "The NFL Today a "C+" (SI, 11/11 issue). In N.Y., Andrew Marchand compares NFL studio hosts Jim Nantz and James Brown: "Brown and Nantz are very similar as studio hosts. They aren't flashy in the mode of a Chris Berman. They are just solid. On football, Brown owns the slight edge and a Matchup victory" (N.Y. POST, 11/8). In FL, Jim Sarni reports that ratings for HBO's revamped "Inside the NFL" are up 29%. Sarni: "An emphasis on issues and interviews has given the show a stronger edge" (SUN-SENTINEL, 11/8).
NASCAR GOES UP: TNT's coverage of last Sunday's Pop Secret 400 earned a 3.7 Nielsen cable rating. The "strength" of Sunday's rating propelled the station "to number three in weekly total-day HH ratings." Additionally, the coverage "rated especially well among 25-54s, where it finished fifth" (Toni Fitzgerald, MEDIA LIFE, 11/6). Through 17 telecasts, NBC and TNT have averaged a 4.3/10, a 13% increase over last year's 3.8/10 (THE DAILY).
ESPN: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Andrew Wallenstein cited Magna Global USA data as showing that ESPN is leading all measured "competitors in both [HHs] (1.51) and 18-49 (.99) demographics" for the first six weeks of the fall season. The net has seen a 13.5% increase over last year, giving ESPN one of the "biggest gains" in HH ratings. The NFL's "strong viewership ... is helping the all-sports network recover from a shaky 2001" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 11/7).
NOTES: ESPN2's ten-telecast coverage of the NHL is averaging a 0.21/(181,403 HHs), down 9% against last year's 0.23/(182,381 HHs) (THE DAILY). In Toronto, William Houston noted "HNIC" "is failing to hold its audience between the first and second games of its doubleheader," as ratings for the second game are down 13%. Houston: "The faster games, which are wrapping up in about 2 hours, 20 minutes, leave the show with about 40 minutes of air time to fill before the start of the second game. So far, ["HNIC"] has done little to develop programming compelling enough to keep the viewers tuned in" (GLOBE & MAIL, 11/7)....Through 18 telecasts, ABC's college football coverage is averaging a 4.2/10, a 14% increase over last year's 3.7/9. In the male 18-34 demo, ABC is averaging a 3.0, 30% above last season's 2.3....NBC's coverage of Boston College-Notre Dame was up 42% against last year's TN-Notre Dame, which earned a 3.1/8. NBC's five Notre Dame telecasts have increased 36%, a 3.4/9 from a 2.5/6 last year (THE DAILY).
