Monday’s Browns-Redskins “MNF” telecast earned a 4.5 final rating and 6.9 million viewers on ESPN, the highest-rated and most-viewed NFL preseason game on the network since Brett Favre’s national TV debut with the Vikings in ’09. That game averaged a 5.2 rating and 7.9 million viewers. Browns-Redskins also ranks as ESPN’s second-most viewed preseason game since ’90.
MAN OF THE MATCH: NBC averaged 885,000 viewers for Saturday’s Crystal Palace-Arsenal match, the most-watched opening-weekend EPL game in U.S. history. That figure is up 12% from 792,000 for Swansea City-Manchester United in ‘13. Meanwhile, Sunday’s Manchester City-Newcastle match on NBCSN averaged 514,000 viewers, the most-watched opening-weekend game on cable in U.S. history. Overall, the five opening weekend EPL matches on NBC and NBCSN averaged 545,000 viewers, up 23% from 443,000 last year. DC, Boston and Baltimore led all local markets.
NOTES: ESPN earned a 3.2 final rating and 5.15 million viewers for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Pure Michigan 400 Sunday, which saw Jeff Gordon win his third race of the season. Those numbers are up 6% and 12%, respectively, from a 3.0 rating and 4.585 million viewers in ’13 for Joey Logano’s win….Golf Channel averaged 405,000 viewers for its final-round coverage of the Wegmans LPGA Championship on Sunday, which saw Inbee Park win the event in a playoff for the second straight year. That figure is up 10% from 367,000 viewers in ’13, which included a portion of the third round and was played in early June. This year also marked the final playing of the event….WNBA regular season games averaged 235,000 viewers per game on ESPN2, up 2% over ’13 (231,000). Games on NBA TV also were up 2% to 52,000.
The charts below list final ratings and viewership from recent sports telecasts.
| TELECAST |
DATE
|
NET
|
TIME (ET)
|
RATING
|
VIEWERS (000)
|
| Little League World Series |
8/16
|
ABC
|
2:00-4:30pm
|
1.1
|
1,547
|
| "World of X Games: Hawaii's Watermen" |
8/16
|
ABC
|
4:30-5:30pm
|
0.7
|
898
|
| "Capri Sun Roarin Waters: Kids vs. Pros Playground Throwdown" |
8/16
|
CBS
|
1:00-2:00pm
|
0.4
|
462
|
| World's Strongest Man 2014 |
8/16
|
CBS
|
2:00-3:00pm
|
0.6
|
901
|
| PGA Tour: Wyndham Championship: Third Round |
8/16
|
CBS
|
3:00-6:00pm
|
1.0
|
1,373
|
| EPL: Arsenal-Crystal Palace |
8/16
|
NBC
|
12:30-2:30pm
|
0.5
|
885
|
| Red Bull Signature Series: Mavericks Invitational |
8/16
|
NBC
|
2:30-4:00pm
|
0.3
|
523
|
| Golf: U.S. Amateur Championship: Semifinals |
8/16
|
NBC
|
4:00-6:00pm
|
0.3
|
406
|
| Little League World Series |
8/17
|
ABC
|
2:00-4:30pm
|
1.2
|
1,916
|
| "College Football Preview Show" |
8/17
|
CBS
|
2:30-3:00pm
|
0.4
|
502
|
| PGA Tour: Wyndham Championship: Final Round |
8/17
|
CBS
|
3:00-6:00pm
|
1.3
|
1,873
|
| NFL Preseason: Chiefs-Panthers |
8/17
|
Fox
|
8:11-11:25pm
|
3.8
|
6,223
|
| Youth Olympics: Opening Ceremony; Swimming |
8/17
|
NBC
|
3:00-4:00pm
|
0.4
|
454
|
| Golf: U.S. Amateur Championship: Final |
8/17
|
NBC
|
4:00-6:00pm
|
0.3
|
451
|
| Liga MX: Chivas de Guadalajara-Santos Laguna |
8/17
|
UniMas
|
5:50-8:00pm
|
0.4
|
824
|
| TELECAST |
DATE
|
NET
|
TIME (ET)
|
RATING
|
VIEWERS (000)
|
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Pure Michigan 400 |
8/17
|
ESPN
|
1:00-4:30pm
|
3.2
|
5,150
|
| NFL Preseason: Jaguars-Bears |
8/14
|
ESPN
|
8:00-11:12pm
|
2.6
|
3,835
|
| NFL Preseason: Broncos-49ers |
8/17
|
NFL Net
|
4:00-7:09pm
|
1.5
|
2,415
|
| Little League World Series: Philadelphia (PA)-Pearland (TX) |
8/17
|
ESPN2
|
7:00-9:37pm
|
1.5
|
2,412
|
| "NASCAR Countdown" |
8/17
|
ESPN
|
12:00-1:00pm
|
1.4
|
1,979
|
| Little League World Series: Mexico-Japan |
8/17
|
ESPN
|
5:00-7:35pm
|
1.2
|
1,875
|
| NFL Preseason: Patriots-Eagles |
8/15
|
NFL Net
|
7:30-10:35pm
|
1.1
|
1,644
|
| NFL Preseason: Ravens-Cowboys |
8/16
|
NFL Net
|
7:00-10:00pm
|
1.1
|
1,633
|
| NASCAR Nationwide Series: Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 (Mid-Ohio) |
8/16
|
ESPN
|
2:45-6:00pm
|
0.9
|
1,473
|
| Little League World Series: Philadelphia (PA)-Nashville (TN) |
8/15
|
ESPN
|
3:23-5:00pm
|
1.0
|
1,449
|
