What Fans Watch

The most watched sport on television continues to be pro football by a large margin, but NASCAR viewership is climbing steadily. The NBA has caught on out West, and baseball is inching back to its pre-1994 strike level

NASCAR

Not surprisingly, the Southeast generated the highest viewership (an average of 8.7% ofhouseholds or 1.9 million) in 2003. Atlanta had the highest concentration of viewers (152,000). NASCAR was also popular in New York City and Los Angeles, which tied for second with 128,000 each.

NBA

The West is home to not only the best teams but also the most viewers: '03 ratings in the Pacific region were 40% higher than the U.S. average.

MLB

The average viewership for '03 was 2.7% of U.S. households (2.9 million), a slight improvement over '02 but still 1% off 1993's numbers.

NFL

America is always ready for some football, and on average 10.3% of U.S. households (11.1 million) were tuned into a pro game each week in '03, making it the most watched sport.

SOURCE: NEILSEN

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International Mapping

NASCAR

 Northeast 4.2%

East Central 7.9%

Southeast 8.7%

Southwest 2.9%

West Central 4.5%

Pacific 3.1% NOTE The percentages refer to the average number of households in a region that tuned in each week in 2003.

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International Mapping

NBA

 Northeast 3.7%

East Central 4.8%

Southeast 3.7%

Southwest 5.9%

West Central 3.6%

Pacific 6.4%

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International Mapping

NBA

 Northeast 3.7%

East Central 4.8%

Southeast 3.7%

Southwest 5.9%

West Central 3.6%

Pacific 6.4%

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International Mapping

NFL

 Northeast 10.5%

East Central 9.2%

Southeast 9.3%

Southwest 11.8%

West Central 11.5%

Pacific 9.6%

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KEVIN KANE/WIREIMAGE.COM