While they never draw a large total audience, FOX’s “UFC on FOX” specials tend to outpoint their broadcast competition in the coveted adults 18-49 demographic.
That, at least as far as the Nielsen fast nationals are concerned, was not the case Saturday.
Saturday’s card, which featured a main-event of Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne and a co-main-event of Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche, settled for a paltry 0.8 adults 18-49 rating with 1.99 million viewers in the measured 8-10PM portion. Both marks represent weak numbers even by the low standards of the “UFC on FOX” franchise.
Both ABC’s presentation of the “Ten Commandments” (1.0 with 5.87 milion viewers from 8-11PM; 1.0 with 5.48 million from 8-10PM) and NBC’s “Dateline” (0.9 with 4.49 million from 8-10PM) scored stronger marks on the fast nationals report.
Because much of the Werdum vs. Brown main-event, which should have represented the night’s peak attraction, aired after 10PM, there is a chance of an upward adjustment in the finals. Supporting that notion is the fact that the episode’s half-hour ratings tracked upward in anticipation of that main-event:
8PM: 0.7, 1.65 million
8:30PM: 0.8, 1.86 million
9PM: 0.9, 2.13 million
10PM: 0.9, 2.30 million
Final Nielsen Data will also account for the fact that the show aired live (5PM-7:30PM) on the west coast. The Fast Nationals measure what west coast FOX affiliates aired from 8-10PM local time.
Because the UFC rating was doubtfully much larger than whatever aired on the west coast from 8-10PM, that adjustment, as has been the case with many recent UFC cards, will not likely be significant.