With World Cup soccer from Brazil, the continued successes of “Monday Night Football”, “Pardon the Interruption”, “SportsCenter”, “Around the Horn” as well as its NBA postseason coverage, ESPN was primetime’s No. 1 cable network for 2014. Comparatively from 2013, it increased 6 percent in viewership at 8-11 p.m.; up 5 percent in total day (6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.).
NBCSN experienced significant year-to-year gains, thanks to the Sochi Winter Olympics, increasing popularity of English Premier League, and its dependable NHL telecasts – a whopping 57 percent jump up for NBCSN from 2013 in total day.
Fox Sports 1 (FS1) also enjoyed sizable increases: +46 percent in prime time, +10 percent in total day. This was the first year televising Major League Baseball, all through to the National League Championship Series. Also of benefit was a boosted slate of college football, UFC and NASCAR events. On the flip side, its sister network Fox Sports 2 (FS2) — bogged down by minimal availability in cable homes, the lack of a high-definition feed in the majority of FS2 homes and the perception of a mere leftover channel from FS1 events — decreased by a heavy sum.
In the battle we’ve been closely watching this year between FS1 and NBCSN, the year was split. Fox Sports 1 had more primetime viewers than NBCSN (340,000 vs 300,000) but NBCSN had more total day viewers (148,000 vs 131,000). Both networks fell behind ESPN and ESPN2 as well as NFL Network.
Golf Channel also experienced a year-to-year decline: -7 percent in total day from 2013. One can point to Tiger Woods’ unsuccessful 2014 Tour performances as a direct reason. On the positive side, Golf Channel’s 2014 total-day viewership increased five percent from 2012 (Golf Channel’s third-best year ever) as it ranked as the network’s second-best year (behind 2013) in its 19-year history.
The other sports-league owned networks rose in total day, including NFL Network despite offering eight of its “Thursday Night Football” games to CBS in simulcast form.
Prime Time (8-11 p.m.)
| NETWORK | VWRS in 2014 (000) | PCT CHG from 2013 (vwrs 000) | PCT CHG from 2012 (vwrs 000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESPN | 2321 | +5.79% (2194) | -0.26% (2327) |
| ESPN2 | 469 | -2.49% (481) | no chg (469) |
| ESPNU * | 116 | +0.87% (115) | — |
| ESPNEWS | 100 | -3.85% (104) | -1.96% (102) |
| NBCSN | 300 | +8.30% (277) | +24.48% (241) |
| FS1 * | 340 | +45.92% (233) | +73.47% (196) |
| FS2 * | 23 | -34.29% (35) | -39.47% (38) |
| NFLN | 385 | -3.75% (400) | +2.39% (376) |
| NBATV | 128 | +10.34% (116) | +4.92% (122) |
| GOLF | 123 | -10.87% (138) | -9.56% (136) |
| MLBN | 132 | -5.71% (140) | +24.53% (106) |
Total Day (6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)
| NETWORK | VWRS in 2014 (000) | PCT CHG from 2013 (vwrs 000) | PCT CHG from 2012 (vwrs 000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESPN | 1016 | +4.74% (970) | +0.10% (1015) |
| ESPN2 | 274 | no chg (274) | -2.84% (282) |
| ESPNU * | 62 | +3.33% (60) | — |
| ESPNEWS | 60 | -7.69% (65) | -10.45% (67) |
| NBCSN | 148 | +57.45% (94) | +45.10% (102) |
| FS1 * | 131 | +10.08% (119) | +11.97% (117) |
| FS2 * | 15 | -31.82% (22) | -25.00% (20) |
| NFLN | 164 | +1.86% (161) | +8.61% (151) |
| NBATV | 58 | +5.45% (55) | -1.69% (59) |
| GOLF | 100 | -7.41% (108) | +5.26% (95) |
| MLBN | 71 | +4.41% (68) | +33.96% (53) |
Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research
The year period of 2014 is from Dec. 30, 2013 to Dec. 28, 2014.
The year period of 2013 is from Dec. 31, 2012 to Dec. 29, 2013.
The year period of 2012 is from Dec. 26, 2011 to Dec. 30, 2012.
* In 2012, ESPNU was not rated by Nielsen, Fox Sports 1 (FS1) was known as Speed Channel and Fox Sports 2 (FS2) was known as Fuel.
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