OSC Weekly Ratings Wrapup
by David Carlson
April 24, 2019 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
WNBA to air weekly games on CBS Sports Network
The WNBA announced this week that it is entering a TV deal with CBS Sports Network. With 40 games planned, that should work out to 1-2 games per week.
From a weekly ratings reporting standpoint, though, we might never know what they draw. Besides the fact that CBSSN only had a reach of about 55 million households (vs. the 80-90 million households that ESPN/ESPN2, FS1 and NBCSN enjoy), CBSSN has never been rated by Nielsen in the past. Although a recent article suggests that may change soon (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cbs-nielsen-reach-new-ratings-agreement-1175621), it is much more likely that CBS is just going to subscribe privately to the ratings for CBSSN, and will only give out numbers when it suits them.
Last Weeks OSC Leagues Ratings Summary:
Saturday April 13 | |
MLS on ESPN, 4pm | 0.10 (Rank #81), 248k |
Sunday April 14 | |
MLS on ESPN, 4pm | 0.06 (Rank #137), 166k |
MLS on FS1, 7pm | 0.06 (Rank #133), 172k |
On one hand, at least all of the MLS showings this week ranked in the top 150 programs, vs. last week when none of them did. On the other hand, the MLS game was the 12th highest rated program of the day on ESPN, behind NBA playoff games and about 8-9 showings of SportsCenter. Perhaps most interestingly, MLS lagged behind regular season College Softball, which was on directly prior to the game on ESPN, scoring a 0.12/436k.
An Alabama/Florida softball game almost doubling the viewers of an MLS game between two fairly decent sized markets (Atlanta & Dallas) is probably fairly concerning to networks wondering whether MLS can generate more interest in their telecasts. A Friday night broadcast on TBS of "E-League" eSports chalked up a 0.07/146k, basically in the same area of total viewers, and actually slightly higher in the 18-49 window. The types of other sports/gaming programming that are equaling or beating MLS is going to eventually catch up to them once renewal time comes along. MLS is getting $90m/yr right now from their TV contracts.
NOTE: Don't know what the "demo" is? Unsure of why the different ratings numbers don't match up? Read our explanation of TV ratings in our first article here.
• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...
Major League Soccer Stories from April 24, 2019
- D.C. United Beat Columbus Crew SC 1-0 on the Road - D.C. United
- Chicago Fire Soccer Club Falls 1-0 to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium - Chicago Fire FC
- Impact Shuts out New England 3-0 - Club de Foot Montreal
- Notes & Quotes: New York City FC 2 - 0 Chicago Fire SC - New York City FC
- Nashville SC Moving Headquarters to be Closer to MLS Stadium - Nashville SC
- MLS Reinstates FC Cincinnati Forward Fanendo Adi - FC Cincinnati
- MLS Reinstates FC Cincinnati Forward Fanendo Adi - MLS
- Kaku Suspended An Additional Two Games - New York Red Bulls
- Houston Dynamo Loan Tyler Deric to RGV FC for Midweek Match against LA Galaxy II - Houston Dynamo FC
- Kaku Suspended An Additional Two Games for Reckless Misconduct - MLS
- Seven Impact U17 Players Called up by Canada - Club de Foot Montreal
- City's Bench Contributions Have Already Eclipsed 2018 Numbers - Orlando City SC
- Vela Gets off to Historic Start with Season-Opening Goal Pace: Week 9 MLS News & Notes - MLS
- Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Papoose, Tony Sunshine and Angelica Vila to Celebrate Bronx Borough Night with New York City FC Tonight - New York City FC
- Know Your Opponent | New York City FC - Orlando City SC
- Dignity Health Sports Park to Host 5th Annual Campeon De Campeones and SuperCopa MX Doubleheader on July 14 - LA Galaxy
- OSC Weekly Ratings Wrapup - OSC Original by David Carlson
- OSC Weekly Ratings Wrapup - OSC Original by David Carlson
- Talen Energy Stadium to Host Premier Lacrosse League Championship Game - Philadelphia Union
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.