Ratings Roundup: MLB All-Star Game on FOX Continues as Most-Watched All-Star Game; World Track & Field Championships Delivers Opening Weekend Viewership Milestones

Ratings Roundup: MLB All-Star Game on FOX Continues as Most-Watched All-Star Game; World Track & Field Championships Delivers Opening Weekend Viewership Milestones By SVG Staff

Friday, July 22, 2022 - 12:59 am

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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, the MLB All-Star Game on FOX continues its reign as the most-watched All-Star Game in sports and World Track & Field Championships Oregon22 delivers opening weekend viewership milestones across NBCUniversal.

MLB All-Star Game on FOX Continues Its Reign as the Most-Watched All-Star Game in Sports

World Track & Field Championships Oregon22 Delivers Opening Weekend Viewership Milestones Across NBCUniversal

NBC Sports' coverage of the World Track & Field Championships from Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, delivered significant viewership milestones during the meet's opening weekend (July 15-17), including reaching 11.4 million total viewers (NBC/USA Network/CNBC) which surpasses its complete coverage of all previous World Championships. This is the first time the outdoor World Championships are being held in the United States and NBCUniversal is dedicating record coverage of the event across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms, including the first-ever live primetime coverage on the NBC broadcast network.

Sunday afternoon's (2:12-4:34 p.m. ET) coverage of the championships on NBC averaged 2.235 million TV-only viewers, making it the most-watched Track & Field event on the network in 18 years, excluding the Olympics and U.S. Team Trials, and up 192% vs. the network's average viewership of the last World Championships in 2019. It was also the fifth-most watched sports program of the weekend.

Coverage on NBC on Saturday and Sunday (7.5 hours; two afternoon windows; two primetime windows) averaged 1.98 million TV-only viewers, ranking as the network's most-watched World Championships since 2007 (2.08 million for one telecast on NBC). All four NBC track & field programs were in the Top 10 among the most-watched sports events of the weekend.

From Friday-Sunday, NBC Sports' track & field programming averaged 939,000 TV-only viewers across NBC, USA Network and CNBC. Viewership across those platforms is up triple digits vs. nearly all comparable 2019 averages.

Viewership for T-Mobile Home Run Derby Across ESPN and ESPN2 Draws Average of 6.9 Million Viewers

The 2022 T-Mobile Home Run Derby, which saw Juan Soto crowned as the new champion, drew an average of 6.9 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2. It peaked with 7.5 million viewers from 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET according to Nielsen.

Viewership for the event was up nine percent from 2019 and up 15 percent vs. 2018. The T-Mobile Home Run Derby won the night across all of television, including in all key demos.

In addition, the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft on ESPN was the second-most watched ever, averaging 544,000 viewers on ESPN for the event on July 17.

ESPN will exclusively televise the national second-half opener on Thursday, July 21, at 7 p.m. ET as the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants.

150th Open Championship at St. Andrews Is Second Most-Watched Open Championship in Nearly a Decade

NBC Sports comprehensive coverage of the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews across NBC, USA Network and Peacock delivered the second most-watched Open Championship in nearly a decade, averaging a Total Audience Delivery of 2.516 million viewers to make it the second most-watched Open Championship since 2013.

Overall viewership for the 150th Open Championship was up 16% vs. 2021 (2.174 million TAD) and up 27% vs. 2019 (1.983 million TAD).

Sunday's final round coverage on NBC (9 a.m. - 1:48 p.m. ET) averaged a TAD of 4.725 million viewers - up 12% vs. last year's final round (4.207 million TAD) - and peaked with more than 7.1 million viewers from 1:30-1:45 p.m. ET, as Cameron Smith completed his come-from-behind victory.

This year's Open Championship viewership was also up 8% vs. 2015, the last time the event was held at St. Andrews (2.329 million TV-only viewers on ESPN).

NBC Sports Delivers Its Most-Watched Open Championship First Round on Record - Notes & Quotes From Second Round at St. Andrews

NBC Sports presented exclusive second-round coverage of the 150th Open Championship from The Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland across USA Network and Peacock, capped by Live From The Open on GOLF Channel and Peacock.

Thursday's first-round coverage on USA Network was NBC Sports' most-watched Open Championship first round on record - up 28% vs. 2021 and up 15% vs. 2019 - also marking the most-watched first round Open Championship since 2015.

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