Ratings Roundup: NBA Viewership Up Across the Board, NFL Divisional Playoffs Down Slightly YoY By SVG Staff
Friday, January 22, 2021 - 7:59 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Ratings roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, NBA viewership is up across the board after a big MLK Day; YES sees its most most-viewed Nets telecast in six years; CBS, Fox, and NBC see a slight drop Year over year for their NFL Divisional Playoff games; and NBCSN delivers its most-watched NHL regular season game on record while NESN delivers its best Bruins opener since 2013.
NBA Viewership Across TNT, ESPN AND ABC UP 34% NBA viewership across TNT, ESPN and ABC through MLK Day (27 games) is up 34% vs. the comparable number of games during the 2019-20 season (2.0 million average viewers vs. 1.49 million average viewers), according to Nielsen Media Research. (NBA)
NBA on TNT's MLK Day Primetime Doubleheader Viewership Up 31% TNT's MLK Day primetime doubleheader coverage - highlighted by the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers - averaged 2.1 million viewers for an increase of 31% vs. last year's comparable MLK Day coverage, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. The doubleheader increase was fueled by Warriors/Lakers at 10 p.m. ET, which netted an 84% increase based on an average of 2.2 million viewers vs. last year's same telecast window. (WarnerMedia)
Nets-Cavs Is YES' Most-Viewed Nets Telecast in Six Years YES' telecast of last evening's Nets-Cavs game averaged 159,000 Total Viewers in the New York DMA, the network's most-viewed Nets telecast in six years (179,000 average Total Viewers for its December 8, 2014 game, also against the Cavs). Last evening's telecast peaked at 242,000 viewers during the 9:15 to 9:30 pm ET quarter-hour. Through last night's game, YES' average viewership is up 89% vs. last season's season average (85,000 vs. 45,000 average Total Viewers per game). (Twitter)
In addition, YES' telecast of the Jan. 16 Magic-Nets game averaged 143,000 viewers in the New York DMA, nearly double YES' season-to-date average of 72,000 viewers (despite going up against NFL playoff action and the Rangers-Islanders game). (Twitter)
Buccaneers-Saints on FOX Ranks #1 This Season with More Than 36 Million Viewers On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers New Orleans Saints game drew 36,416,201 viewers across Fox, Fos Deportes, Fox Sports streaming platforsm, NFL Digital, and Verizon Media MObile properties on Sunday. It was the most watched telecast of any kind on any networks since Super Bowl LIV and the most watched NFL teelcast of th eseason. It was also the most streamed NFL Playoff game in Fox Sports history with 1.3 million AMA and the most watched NFL telecast of the day on Spanish-language TV on Fox Deportes.
On Saturday, the L.A. Rams Green Bay Pakcers game drew 27,186,576 viewers across all platforsm. It was the most-watched telecast of the day and Fox Deportes drew the most-watched NFL telecast of the day on Spanish-language TV. (Fox Sports)
Ravens-Bills AFC Divisional Playoff Is NBC's Most-Watched Saturday Primetime Game in Four Years
NBC's broadcast of the Buffalo Bills' 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoff last weekend delivered the network's largest Saturday primetime audience in four years, and the largest Saturday night audience on any network since last January. The Ravens-Bills game averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 27.1 million viewers across NBC TV, Universo, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital platforms, and Verizon Media mobile properties, according to official data released today by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics. (NBC Sports)
Chiefs-Brown Down 3% YoY; Divisional Weekend Is Down 7% Overall The earlier game Sunday (Kansas City Chiefs-Cleveland Browns) on CBS delivered 34.33 million viewers, a slight 3 percent decline from the same window a year ago.
Overall, the four games on Jan. 16 and 17 (two on Fox and one each on CBS and NBC) averaged 30.63 million viewers. That's down about 7 percent vs. the 32.84 million average for divisional playoff games in 2020. (THR)
Penguins-Flyers Opening Night Matchup is NBCSN's Most-Watched NHL Regular Season Game on Record
The first game of the 2020-21 NHL season between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 972,000 viewers last night on NBCSN, making it the network's most-watched regular-season game on record. The Opening Night tripleheader on NBCSN, which also included Chicago at Tampa Bay and St. Louis at Colorado, averaged a TAD of 774,000 viewers, making it the network's most-watched multi-game Opening Night on record and up 29% from last year's doubleheader (600,000). (NBC Sports)
Bruins Opener on NESN Touts Highest Season-Debut Rating Since 2013 The 2020-21 Boston Bruins season kicked off last night with a win against the New Jersey Devils and a 5.98 household (HH) rating in the Boston DMA, NESN announced today. The rating for the shootout win against the Devils is the highest HH rating for a season opener since 2013. The game also marks the highest HH rating for a regular season Bruins matchup since March 29, 2018. (NESN)
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
06/05/2026
Gravity Media Chief RF Communications Engineer Glenn Willems uses Wisycom RF over Fiber and wireless solutions across major cycling events and international mar...
06/05/2026
A Sennheiser Spectera module is now available in Bitfocus Companion and Buttons, enabling direct integration of Spectera with the two software platforms. The mo...
06/05/2026
Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur whose appetite for disruption helpe...
06/05/2026
Peacock is going all-in on the beautiful game - streaming all 104 FIFA World Cup...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
05/05/2026
viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...
05/05/2026
ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...
05/05/2026
Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...
05/05/2026
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...
Ratings Roundup: NBA Viewership Up Across the Board, NFL Divisional Playoffs Down Slightly YoY By SVG Staff 
