Roland Garros TV Numbers Good and Bad

Written by: Staff on 14th June 2012

Roland Garros TV Numbers Good and Bad

epa03259549 General view of Court Philippe Chatrier during the final match Rafael Nadal of Spain against Novak Djokovic for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 11 June 2012. EPA/YOAN VALAT |

Despite a rain-interrupted men’s Roland Garros final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, NBC earned a 2.4 overall rating on Sunday morning, down eight percent (2.6) from the 2011 final between Roger Federer and Nadal, but up 50 percent from the Nadal against Robin Soderling 2010 final, which had a 1.6 rating.

The 2009 final between Federer and Soderling drew a 1.4, while Nadal’s wins over Federer in 2008 grabbed a 1.8.

NBC’S highest men’s rating was a 4.0 in 1999 when Andre Agassi beat Andrei Medvedev for the title.

While that’s good news on the men’s front, the women’s numbers were disappointing for NBC. Even though starlet Maria Sharapova reached the final and beat Sara Errani, the final only registered a 1.7, equaling the 2011 number when Na Li defeated Francesca Schiavone, and Schiavone’s victory over Samantha Stosur in 2010. The women have only gone above a 2.0 twice in the past 11 years: in 2002, when Serena Williams beat her sister Venus, NBC registered a 3.6. The following year, when Justine Henin beat Kim Clijsters for the crown, NBC registered a 2.3.

Tennis Channel reported record ratings during its first week of coverage. From the period of Sunday, May 27, through Saturday, June 2, the network’s live match coverage averaged a 0.61 rating according to Nielsen Media Research, or 319,738 homes, up 17 percent from 2011’s 0.52 average. The daily premiere of prime-time news, interview and analysis show French Open Tonight also established new highs, exceeding 2011’s performance by 51 percent every day, and is averaging a 0.52 rating vs. last year’s 0.35 for the first seven days, equal to 272,563 homes.

Virginie Razzano’s first round upset of Serena Williams drew a 1.02 rating, which was first place among all cable networks in Tennis Channel’s household coverage area and averaged 533,170 homes during the time period. Ratings in matches played by Maria Sharapova (0.95), Victoria Azarenka (0.84) and John Isner (0.68), pointed to weeklong viewer demand. “Before Tennis Channel there were just a few French Open matches on television each day, and now this tournament has coverage around the clock,” said Ken Solomon, chairman and CEO, Tennis Channel. “There’s been a real paradigm shift in how this event is televised, which has since spread to every major.”

Topics: 10sballs.com, French Open 2012, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Roland Garros

Follow 10SBALLS.COM on:

Facebook:

Twitter:

10sBalls Top Stories

In Case You Missed It

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA

Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Eugenie Bouchard is the winner of the 2018 Excellence Awards in the Female Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year categories.

TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE

Time to get tickets to watch! Surly you have heard about The Largest Open Tennis Event in America!

TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER

According to Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal was supposed to be back at practice on either Dec. 4 or 5. Well, better late than never!

Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife

Española y checa ya trabajaron juntas durante el pasado Open de Estados Unidos

ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia hits a forehand to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during her second round match at the Nature Valley International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.