Yep, even meaningless NFL games move the ratings needle. ESPN still managed to come out on top among the cable sports nets in total day viewing, but NFL Network came out on top in primetime.
Primetime rankings for the week ending August 16, 2015:
Net | Viewers (000) | Viewers 18-49 (000) |
NFLN | 1076 | 483 |
ESPN | 974 | 349 |
MLBN | 237 | 97 |
ESP2 | 228 | 75 |
NBCS | 195 | 43 |
FS1 | 183 | 73 |
GOLF | 173 | 49 |
ENN | 105 | 53 |
UDN | 92 | 58 |
ESNU | 57 | 27 |
NBAT | 50 | 20 |
FS2 | 32 | 7 |
FOXD | 22 | 12 |
BEIN | 7 | 3 |
Total Day:
Net | Viewers (000) | Viewers 18-49 (000) |
ESPN | 510 | 238 |
NFLN | 447 | 215 |
NBCS | 237 | 72 |
ESP2 | 212 | 106 |
MLBN | 115 | 51 |
GOLF | 109 | 30 |
FS1 | 81 | 31 |
ENN | 52 | 31 |
UDN | 39 | 23 |
ESNU | 35 | 16 |
NBAT | 30 | 14 |
FS2 | 23 | 10 |
FOXD | 18 | 10 |
BEIN | 7 | 3 |
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As of July 2015, here are the Nielsen coverage estimates for the sports networks listed above:
Network name | Estimated # of Homes (000) | Coverage % |
BEIN SPORT | 18,161 | 15.6 |
ESPN | 92,940 | 79.8 |
ESPN CLASSIC | 25,191 | 21.6 |
ESPN2 | 92,855 | 79.8 |
ESPNEWS | 71,293 | 61.2 |
ESPNU | 73,091 | 62.8 |
FOX DEPORTES | 21,534 | 18.5 |
FOX SPORTS 1 (Formerly SPEED) | 84,309 | 72.4 |
FOX SPORTS 2 (Formerly FUEL) | 46,659 | 40.1 |
GOLF CHANNEL | 78,299 | 67.3 |
MLB NETWORK | 68,342 | 58.7 |
NBA-TV | 55,785 | 47.9 |
NBC SPORTS NETWORK | 83,874 | 72.1 |
NFL NETWORK | 70,466 | 60.5 |
UNIVISION DEPORTES | 44,221 | 38.0 |