6.5 Million Watched Slice/Thompson Brawl
(Photo courtesy of the LA Times.)
Final viewership figures from EliteXC/CBS’s Saturday Night Fights broadcast were announced today via press release, and despite all the unfortunate aspects of the event itself, it was undeniably a smash in terms of drawing an audience. The final 51 minutes of the 171-minute program delivered an average of 6.12 million viewers, peaking at 6.51 million viewers during the main event. Compared to CBS’s regularly scheduled programming at 9:00-11:00 PM on Saturday during the 2007-08 season, the ratings were up an astounding 357% among men aged 18-34. In other words, as troubled as SNF was, you’ll definitely be seeing it again. (Apologies, squeamish Middle America.) Here’s the demographic breakdown released by CBS, showing rating figures and peak viewership:
The 4.31 million average viewers pulled in by SNF from 9 to 11 p.m. edged out the 4.23 scored by ABC during that time and the 4.31 recorded by NBC, which was showing an NHL playoff game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. CBS’s beating of NBC was especially prominent in L.A., where EliteXC peaked at a 7.2 share, while the NHL averaged a 3 share. (FOX kicked everyone’s ass with the perennial Saturday night twofer of Cops and America’s Most Wanted.)
And if you need more useless information, here are the top 10 markets for CBS from 11:30-11:45 PM on Saturday:
1) Oklahoma City/KWTV: 11.1 rating/18 share
2) Nashville/WTVF: 10.3/19
3) New Orleans/WWL: 9.7/15
4) Memphis/WREG: 8.4/14
5) Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville/WSPA: 8.0/15
6) Las Vegas/KLAS: 7.5/15
7T) Tulsa/KOTV: 7.3/13
7T) Miami/WFOR: 7.3/12
9) Los Angeles/KCBS: 7.2/17
10) St Louis/KMOV: 7.1/13
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June 3rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
So many people watched the first one because they wondered if it was going to be good or not….and it wasn’t. I gaurantee the next one flops worse than James Thompsons Steroid injected Cauliflower Ear!!
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Count me among those who didn’t watch it on TV - cos’ the stupid show ran 45 minutes over the allotted time and my DVR stopped recording somewhere in the Lawler fight as programmed. This ain’t college football. They gotta figure this shit out before the next broadcast and keep it in the time limit.
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Pretty sure it was a Stanley Cup Final game, not just a “NHL playoff game”. Hence, stiffer competition for CBS. All the more reason the viewership numbers are so impressive, imo.
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
To compare, the highest peak for a UFC fight was Ortiz vs. Shamrock III, which peaked at 5.7 million viewers. Had Shamrock actually lasted a round or two longer, it’s possible that figure could have reached 6 million.
June 3rd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
@Shane- Also, remember it was on Cable Television, not network television, so its possible the figure could have been quite higher.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:25 am
Woulda been more entertaining if it was a slap fight.
June 13th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
6.5 million saw it then 6.5 million people now know kimbo’s nothing special