Viewership was up across the board for Super Bowl pre- and post-game coverage, while “Next Level Chef” hit a new low. Plus: The PGA Tour scored with tiger woods’ comeback and the Phoenix Open; high NHL viewership on ABC; and more.
Super Bowl shoulder programming across the board; output hits low
Last Sunday’s Super Bowl pregame show averaged 19.8 million viewers on FOX, 13% more than last year on NBC (17.53 million) and the highest pregame audience in three years. . FOX also averaged $58.47 million for postgame coverage (+8%) and just $15.66 million for its opener, the reality series premiere of “Next Level Chef,” the least-watched Super Bowl opener on record.
On ESPN, “NFL Primetime” postgame averaged 1.87 million viewers, 61% more than last year versus the Olympics (1.16 million) and the highest audience for the post-Super Bowl show since 2018, and “SportsCenter” 1.19 million later (+35). %). NFL Network’s post-game “NFL Gameday Final” had 832,000 (+19%). ESPN drew 1.22 million for its pregame “NFL Postseason Countdown” (+8%) and NFL Network 504,000 for its eight-plus hour “NFL Gameday Tomorrow” (+ 10%).
Inexplicably, NFL Network averaged 1.22 million viewers for Gamecenter during the Super Bowl, nearly 2000% more than last year (81K). ESPN, by comparison, averaged less than 100,000 for its mix of X Games and dog show reruns.
In other NFL action, last week’s NFL Honors drew a combined 3.08 million on NBC and NFL Network, up 5% from last year on ABC and NFL Network (2.93 million).
Tiger’s return elevates PGA at Riviera; phoenix opens
Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles, the first round of Tiger Woods’ season, averaged 959,000 viewers on Golf Channel, up 141% from last year and the highest audience ever for the round inaugural in tournament history.
In other PGA Tour action, coverage of the final round of the Phoenix Open averaged 2.1 and 3.67 million on CBS last weekend, up slightly from last year (2.0, 3.59 million). and easily the most watched telecast of the young season. Third-round action drew 1.6 and 2.54 million, up a tick and 13% respectively from a year ago (1.5, 2.43 million).
NHL scores high in second half of ABC doubleheader
Last Saturday’s Capitals-Bruins NHL regular season game averaged a 0.65 rating and 1.11 million viewers on ABC, making it the most watched regular season game outside of the Winter Classic and Thanksgiving Classic in two years. The game was part of a rare broadcast network doubleheader with the Lightning-Stars leading at 0.40 and 673,000.
In other action, ESPN earned a 0.26 and 526,000 for a rematch of the Avalanche-Lightning Stanley Cup final a week ago on Thursday, the network’s most-watched game since Nov. 1 (Bruins-Penguins: 699K). It didn’t fare so well with Devils-Blues last Thursday, drawing 340,000.
TNT drew 241,000 for the Avalanche-Wild and 232,000 for the Blackhawks-Maple Leafs last Wednesday, down 6% and 1% respectively from last year (Avalanche-Golden Knights: 257K; Panthers-Hurricanes: 234K). The previous week’s Wild-Stars game had 241,000, up 24% year-over-year.
Plus: UFC 284, NASCAR showdown at Daytona, PTI
ESPN averaged a 0.6 rating and 1.13 million viewers for UFC 284 last weekend, the most-watched UFC event on a single network since March of last year. … Thursday’s NASCAR duel at Daytona averaged 1.54 million viewers on FS1 Thursday night, up 5% from last year (1.46 million) and a three-year high. … Monday’s episode of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” averaged 814,000 viewers, up 11% from the day after last year’s Super Bowl (732K).
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 2.14 a, b, PR network)