Ratings Roundup: After Weak World Series Opener, Fox Bounces Back in Game 2; FSU-Notre Dame Is Season’s Tops College Football Game

After a tough opener, Fox bounced back in Game 2 of the World Series coverage with a 7.9/14 household rating/share with 12.9 million viewers, according to fast nationals. That was up 8% in rating and 6% in audience over Game 1 on Tuesday (7.3, 12.2 million), but down 5% in ratings and 3% in viewership from Cardinals-Red Sox Game 2 last year (8.3, 13.4 million).  The 8% game-to-game improvement is the biggest percentage increase from Game 1 to Game 2 in eight years.  Ratings peaked at a 9.3/15 from 10:00-10:30 PM ET as the Royals broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning. Game 2 posted a 49.6/71 in Kansas City, followed by a 28.7/50 in San Francisco.  The 49.7 is a record for the World Series in Kansas City, and is the best rating in any local market for a World Series Game 2 since 2007.

World Series Game 2 ranks as FOX’s highest-rated and most-watched prime-time broadcast this season, and the network’s highest-rated, most-watched prime-time program since an edition of AMERICAN IDOL in February. FOX easily won the night among Households, and projects to easily win the night in Adults 18-49 for the second consecutive night.

FOX Deportes delivered 279,000 viewers for World Series Game 2, its second most-watched Game 2 ever, surpassed only by Game 2 in 2009 (286,000).  Spanish language viewership is +81% for total viewers (279,000 vs. 154,000) vs. Game 2 a year ago. When viewership on FOX Deportes is combined with FOX, the total average audience for Game 2 is 13.2 million viewers, down from 13.6 million viewers for Game 2 last year, while +3% compared to Game 2 in 2012 (12.5 million viewers).

On the day of World Series Game 2, FOX Sports GO reached a new high for cumulative authenticated viewers for a single day, +10% than the previous record the day of Game 1…

…CBS and NFL Network’s Broncos-Chargers THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL on October 23 earned an average overnight household rating/share in the 56 metered markets of 13.6/23, +268% from last year’s comparable game on NFL Network and over-the-air-stations within the two team markets (3.7/6; Carolina-Tampa Bay; October 24, 2013).  Last night’s game was the second-highest rated THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game in the metered markets behind only the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game (13.7/23 on September 11, 2014). Through the seven games of the CBS/NFL Network schedule, THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL is averaging an 11.4/19, +81% compared to last year’s 6.3/11 for the games on NFL Network. CBS/NFL Network’s 12.6/20 in primetime beat each of the broadcast networks: +404% higher than FOX (2.5/4), +350% higher than NBC (2.8/4), and +75% higher than ABC (7.2/12). Last night’s game peaked at 14.1/24 from 10:30-11:00 PM, ET…

…The ABC Saturday Night Football telecast of then-No. 2 Florida State defeating No. 5 Notre Dame 31-27 on October 18 averaged 13,251,000 viewers and a 7.9 household rating, making it the most-viewed college football game of the 2014 season and largest audience for a regular-season game on an ESPN platform since November 24, 2012 (No. 1 Notre Dame’s 22-13 victory over USC averaged 16,059,000 viewers). The game also garnered average minute audience, unique viewers and total minutes audience records for WatchESPN. The coverage added an additional 81,715 viewers in the average minute audience to ABC’s telecast, and generated 393,000 unique viewers and 19,448,000 live minutes viewed. Saturday’s telecast generated the largest audience for a college football game in the month of October across all networks on record (records begin in 1991)…

 

…Pittsburgh’s win over the Texans on Monday Night Football helped ESPN win the night among all networks in viewers, households and all key male and adult demos, but down 4% in ratings and nearly even in viewership compared to Vikings-Giants last year (8.4, 13.2 million).  The game ranked as the top telecast of the night across cable and broadcast among the key male demos, as well as adults 18-34 and 18-49. The game averaged an 8.1 household US rating, 9,483,000 households and 13,275,000 viewers (P2+), according to Nielsen. It peaked from 9:45-10 p.m. with a 9.1 rating and 15,124,000 viewers. In Houston, the game delivered a 14.3 rating on ESPN and a 13.0 on KIAH-CW, for a combined 27.3 rating in the market. In Pittsburgh, the game delivered a 10.8 rating on ESPN and a 27.8 on WTAE-ABC, for a combined 38.5 rating in the market. Through the first seven weeks (eight games), ESPN’s Monday Night Football is averaging an 8.3 household US rating; 9,618,000 households and 13,355,000 viewers

 

The Texans-Steelers telecast on ESPN Deportes averaged a 0.4 Hispanic Household US rating with 66,000 Hispanic Household impressions, an increase of 14 percent over the Week 7 game last year, and 86,000 Hispanic P2+ impressions. In addition, on WatchESPN, the game reached 313,000 unique viewers (up 87 percent compared to week 7 last year) while logging 21.5 million minutes viewed (up 76 percent). The game had an average minute audience of 106,000 (up 76 percent)…

 

Speaking of ESPN’s Monday Night Football and ABC’s Saturday Night Football, ESPN programming has won the night on 11 of the 15 nights those two series have aired this season. Since the college football season began, ABC or ESPN has averaged the most viewers of any network on five of eight Saturday nights:  ABC-4 (August 30, September 20, October 4 and 18); ESPN-1 (Oct. 11)…

… Despite a lopsided Broncos victory, NBC earned its most-watched Sunday Night Football game of the season on Sunday thanks to Broncos Denver QB Peyton Manning breaking Brett Favre’s record for career touchdown passes. 49ers-Broncos was watched by an average of 23.8 million viewers to rank as the most-watched Sunday night game this season, edging the 23.7 million last year SNF season opener (Broncos-Colts) on Sept. 7.  The only primetime game to top 49ers-Broncos this season is Packers-Seahawks in the Thursday “NFL Kickoff” game on NBC (26.9 million viewers on Sept. 4). In addition, the telecast peaked at an average of 27.0 million viewers during the 9:30pm ET half hour when Manning threw his record-setting 509th career touchdown pass. 49ers-Broncos on Sunday Night Football (8:31-11:23pm ET) was the most-watched and highest rated (13.8/23) primetime show of the week based on live + same day metrics, and also topped primetime in Adults 18-49 and all key male demographics.

Through eight NFL telecasts, NBC is averaging 22.1 million viewers – marking the second consecutive year and the only two years since acquiring the SNF package in 2006 that NBC has topped 22 million viewers at this point in the season…

NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Talladega on ESPN on Sunday earned a 2.7 final rating and 4.3 million viewers — down 13% in ratings and 12% in viewership from last year (3.1, 4.9M) and down 16% and 15%, respectively, from 2012 (3.2, 5.1M). This marks the lowest rated edition of the fall Talladega race since at least 2000 and the least-viewed since at least 2001. (SportsMediaWatch)

 

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