Ratings Roundup: As CBS Sees Decline in Men's Basketball Championship, ESPN Experiences Noticeable Growth for Women's Title Game By SVG Staff
Friday, April 9, 2021 - 7:40 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, both NCAA Basketball Championships experience different numbers, YES Network posts record Yankees viewership for Opening Day, ESPN sees a big jump for Opening Day afternoon games, and more.
Men's Final Declines By 14%, Women's Final Gets a Ratings Bump Gonzaga's chance at history was crushed in the final game of the 2021 National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball tournament, as the Bulldogs lost their first game of the season to the Baylor Bears, and viewership suffered. The 2021 NCAA men's basketball championship game attracted an average of 16.9 million viewers to CBS Sports on Monday, a 14% decline from the 2019 game. This year's game was the least-watched championship aired on CBS since the network started broadcasting the games in 1982. It's also the lowest since WarnerMedia property Turner Sports aired the game in 2018, after CBS and Turner began switching every other year in 2016. That game, between Villanova and the University of Michigan, drew roughly 16.5 million viewers. (CNBC)
The 2021 NCAA Division I Women's College Basketball Championship game on ESPN - a thrilling 54-53 victory for top-seed Stanford over Arizona - averaged 4,077,000 viewers and is the most-viewed women's championship game since 2014.
The matchup of Pac-12 rivals was up 9% from the 2019 title game (Notre Dame-Baylor, 3,727,000 viewers). The audience peaked in the final minutes with 5,927,000 viewers. This year's Final Four weekend in San Antonio is also the sport's best since 2012. Friday's two semifinal matchups and Sunday's championship game averaged 2,850,000 viewers, a 14 percent increase from 2019. (ESPN)
YES Network Posts Record Yankees Viewership on Thursday's Opening Day The YES Network owned New York sports on Thursday, generating record viewership for its Blue Jays-Yankees Opening Day telecast in the afternoon and continuing to post great Nets viewership numbers in the evening. Among the highlights:
Thursday's Blue Jays-Yankees game averaged 543,000 Total Viewers on YES in the New York DMA, making it YES' most-viewed weekday afternoon Season Opening telecast ever. The game was also YES' second most-viewed weekday afternoon telecast ever
Furthermore, Thursday's Blue Jays-Yankees game was YES' most-viewed regular season telecast in almost three years
In addition to 543,000 average Total Viewers tuning in to YES' linear telecast of the Blue Jays-Yankees game, 72,739 unique viewers streamed the game live on the new YES App, making it the most-streamed YES game ever on either the YES App or its predecessor, FOX Sports GO (YES Network)
As for the club's Opening week, YES had its best Yankees opening week in nine years, averaging 391,000 Total Viewers in the New York DMA for its first six Yankees telecasts of the 2021 season. YES averaged 416,000 Total Viewers for its first week of the 2012 season. (Twitter)
Big Jump for ESPN's Opening Day Afternoon Games Thursday's Blue Jays-Yankees Major League Baseball opener averaged 910,000 viewers on ESPN, up 29% from 2019 (Orioles-Yankees: 704K) and the most-watched afternoon game on Opening Day since 2017 - the last time the season opened on a Sunday. The game averaged an additional 543,000 viewers on YES Network in New York, the network's second-best weekday afternoon audience ever, bringing the combined local and national audience to 1.45 million.
Abbreviated coverage of Dodgers-Rockies averaged 884,000 later in the day, up 64% from '19 (Diamondbacks-Dodgers: 538K).
Last season opened in July with a primetime doubleheader. Yankees-Nationals drew 4.01 million viewers and Giants-Dodgers 2.78 million. Due to the postponement of Mets-Nationals, there was only one primetime game this year - Astros-A's, which averaged just 655,000. (SportsMediaWatch)
NBC and Golf Channel Deliver Most Watched Valero Texas Open on Record NBC Sports' coverage of amateur competitions and professional tours this past weekend on NBC and GOLF Channel delivered across the board ratings milestones, according to official national data provided by Nielsen.
NBC and GOLF Channel posted the most-watched Valero Texas Open on record (dating to 1999), with a four-round average of 1.4 million viewers, up 7% from 2019. NBC's weekend coverage was up 16%, while GOLF's early round and lead-in coverage was up 45% vs. 2019.
Viewership highlights from NBC/GOLF Channel's coverage of the Valero Texas Open:
GOLF Channel's first round was the most watched on any network since 2002.
GOLF Channel's second round was the most watched on record (dating to 1999).
The most-watched third round since 2015, with 1.9 million viewers on NBC.
The most-watched final round on record, with 3.4 million viewers on NBC - up 24% vs. 2019.
NBC Sports continues to deliver significant viewership gains for the PGA TOUR in 2021. Through the Valero Texas Open, PGA TOUR coverage on NBC has delivered a 31% year-over-year increase and a 20% increase for GOLF Channel.
Season-to-date in 2021, 10 of 15 comparable events on GOLF Channel/NBC have registered year-over-year viewership growth vs. comparable coverage of the same event.
On the LPGA Tour, NBC Sports' coverage of the ANA Inspiration delivered a 32% increase over 2019, as Patty Tavatanakit secured her first career major title with a course-record 62 on Sunday, holding off a final round charge from Lydia Ko.
Through five LPGA Tour events in 2021,
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: As CBS Sees Decline in Men's Basketball Championship, ESPN Experiences Noticeable Growth for Women's Title Game By SVG Staff 
