The year has been marked by numerous ratings milestones. Super Bowl 49 was the highest rated TV program in 30 years and the most-watched of all-time. The College Football Playoff delivered the three largest audiences in cable TV history, and college football’s top audience on any network in nine years. The NCAA Tournament was the highest rated since 1998 and the most-watched since 1993, ending with the largest basketball audience – college or pro – since the 1998 NBA Finals. The NBA Finals averaged its largest audience since that 1998 series and its highest rating since 2001. Finally, and most recently, the Women’s World Cup final scored the largest soccer audience in U.S. TV history. Even in a year when the good times have rolled across the industry, the NFL has still dominated. Nine of the ten most-watched sporting events this year have been NFL games, with six topping 40 million viewers – up from five last year.
NASCAR events in the top 50:
30th) Daytona 500 – 5.5 rating, 13.36 million viewers.
35th) QuikTrip Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta – 5.6 rating, 9.50 million viewers.
50th) Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas – 4.6 rating, 7.74 million viewers.
(Sports Media Watch)(7-17-2015)
