Weekend ratings predictions: PGA Championship, LPGA and more – Sporting News
First, the results of last week’s predictions:
— NASCAR Sprint Cup from the Brickyard. Prediction: 3.1; final rating: 3.1.
— NHRA from Denver. Prediction: 1.1; final rating: 0.6.
— MLB Sunday Night Baseball, Dodgers-Cardinals. Prediction: 1.2; final rating: 0.9.
— Tour de France, Final Stage. Prediction: 0.3; final rating: 0.3.
— Major League Soccer, Red Bulls-NYC F.C. Prediction: 0.3; final rating: 0.3.
This week’s predictions (all times Eastern):
PGA Championship, third and final rounds (2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, CBS). Excluding rainouts, 19 of the past 31 PGA Tour windows on broadcast television have declined from last year — including 10 of 15 final round windows. With Jordan Spieth working his way back into contention, the PGA Championship may be one of the exceptions. Last year’s ratings on CBS were the second-best since 2009 with a 2.8 on Saturday and 4.4 on Sunday. Prediction: 2.7 and 4.3.
Women’s British Open, final round (11 a.m. Sunday, NBC). Two weeks after the British Open scored big gains in its return to broadcast television, expect a similar bump for the Women’s British Open. Last year’s final round aired on ESPN2 and had a mere 0.2 rating. Ratings should more than double that low figure. The last time coverage aired on broadcast, ABC scored a 0.6 in 2009. Prediction: 0.5.
NASCAR Sprint Cup from Pocono (1:30 p.m. Sunday, NBCSN). Though it was not the only factor, Jeff Gordon’s return from retirement helped the Brickyard 400 to an uptick in ratings last weekend. In his second and possibly final race, expect less of an impact. Last year’s comparable Pocono race had a 2.6 rating. Prediction: 2.6.
MLB Sunday Night Baseball, Mariners-Cubs (8 p.m. Sunday, ESPN). While the Cubs have been the primary story of the Major League Baseball season, their two previous Sunday Night Baseball appearances this year have not been particularly big draws. A game against the Giants scored a 1.2 rating in May, while a matchup with the Pirates drew a mere 0.8 in June — though that was against Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Look for this week’s matchup with the Mariners to split the difference. Prediction: 1.0.
NHRA racing from Sonoma (4 p.m. Sunday, FOX). For the second straight week, but just the second time all-time, live NHRA racing airs on broadcast television. Facing direct competition from NASCAR, last week’s telecast had a 0.6 rating. With this week’s window mostly avoiding NASCAR, expect better numbers. Prediction: 0.8.
Paulsen is the founder of Sports Media Watch and a contributor for Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @Paulsen_SMW .
