How Sports TV Ratings Have Fared in Return From Pandemic Shutdowns
During the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, when sports had been relegated to the sidelines, it was common belief that whenever the games returned, fans would rush back to their TV sets. The virtual NFL draft in April and five weeks of reliving ’90s NBA nostalgia led to record ratings — and that was before most major professional sports in the U.S. returned to the field. Turns out, fans — shut out of arenas and ballparks in an attempt to keep COVID-19 at bay — really missed their favorite games at first. Many sports experienced hefty audience bumps compared to their pre-pandemic viewing levels — though comparisons are hardly apples-to-apples. But that has since cooled off some. Also Read: Inside Peacock's Big Push for Sports Talk TV - and Live Content Major League Baseball was the first big-ticket pro league to return to play, and it did so in record-breaking fashion. The New York Yankees’ rain-shortened win over the Washington Nationals on July 23 drew more than 4 million viewers, the most-watched regular season game on any network in nine years. That strong start propped up ESPN’s overall average through the first few weeks of the season (Aug....
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