Despite competition yesterday from NCAA Tournament games, Fox earned a 4.5 overnight Nielsen rating for coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from Auto Club Speedway. The rating was up 32% from a 3.4 overnight for the same race last year. Fox has now seen gains for four of its five Sprint Cup races. The net also benefited yesterday when the final round of the PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational was postponed with Tiger Woods in the lead. Play was cancelled before NBC came on the air yesterday, with the net drawing only a 1.7 overnight for coverage that ended up featuring replay footage of the third round, with live cut-ins of weather coverage at the course. On Friday night, ESPN drew a 0.7 overnight for the Costa Rica-U.S. FIFA World Cup qualifier, which was played in heavy snow.
Listed below are overnight Nielsen ratings from the weekend on broadcast TV.
| TELECAST |
DATE
|
NET
|
TIME (ET)
|
RAT.
|
| X Games Tignes |
3/23
|
ABC
|
2:00-6:00pm
|
0.5
|
| NCAA Tournament: Third Round: Michigan-VCU |
3/23
|
CBS
|
12:00-2:15pm
|
3.9
|
NCAA Tournament: Third Round:
Michigan State-Memphis |
3/23
|
CBS
|
2:30-5:00pm
|
5.2
|
NCAA Tournament: Third Round:
Louisville-Colorado State |
3/23
|
CBS
|
5:15-7:30pm
|
4.7
|
| NCAA Tournament: Third Round: Marquette-Butler |
3/23
|
CBS
|
8:00-10:30pm
|
4.6
|
| World Figure Skating Championships |
3/23
|
NBC
|
12:00-2:00pm
|
0.9
|
| "Golf Central Live" |
3/23
|
NBC
|
2:00-2:30pm
|
0.6
|
| PGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational: Third Round |
3/23
|
NBC
|
2:30-6:00pm
|
2.4
|
| NCAA Tournament: Third Round: Ohio State-Iowa State |
3/24
|
CBS
|
12:00-2:45pm
|
5.4
|
| NCAA Tournament: Third Round: Indiana-Temple |
3/24
|
CBS
|
3:00-5:15pm
|
7.2
|
NCAA Tournament: Third Round:
Kansas-North Carolina |
3/24
|
CBS
|
5:15-7:45pm
|
7.3
|
| NASCAR Sprint Cup: Auto Club Speedway |
3/24
|
Fox
|
3:00-6:30pm
|
4.5
|
| U.S. Alpine Championships |
3/24
|
NBC
|
12:00-1:00pm
|
0.8
|
| Golf Digest Equipment Insider |
3/24
|
NBC
|
1:00-2:00pm
|
0.5
|
| "Golf Central Live" |
3/24
|
NBC
|
2:00-2:30pm
|
0.7
|
| PGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational: Final Round* |
3/24
|
NBC
|
2:30-6:00pm
|
1.7
|
| |
|
|
|
|
NOTE: * = NBC showed no coverage, as final round had been suspended due to inclement weather, with Tiger Woods in the lead. Finished on Monday on Golf Channel.
