Live sports programming has generated some strong ratings numbers so far this summer as fans settle into having their favorite sports events return to their traditional seasonal time periods.

The NBA playoffs have scored big for the league and for ESPN thus far. The league’s conference semifinal round which ended June 20th averaged 4.1 million viewers over 24 telecasts across ESPN, TNT and ABC, up 33% from the same 24 games during last year’s conference finals, which took place during the late summer/early fall of 2020 due to the pandemic, per a Sports Business Journal analysis.

The NBA Playoffs have helped propel TNT and ESPN to the top of the cable network ratings charts. Through June 20, TNT has averaged more primetime viewers during the last four weeks than any other cable network, topping perennial chart leader Fox News, while ESPN finished among the top five rated cable networks in primetime during those weeks. While the league’s playoff ratings are slightly down compared to 2019, the league was able to rebound nicely with viewers after struggling while in a COVID-avoiding bubble last year. 

Read also: Weekly Cable Ratings: TNT Tops Primetime; Fox News Rules in Total Day

It’s not just basketball that’s scoring on the ratings front. NBC Sports two weekends ago generated its second-most watched U.S. Open golf tournament in five years, while ESPN last week reported Sunday Night Baseball viewership is up 31% from last year’s full season average and up 7% compared to the same time period in 2019. 

Read also: TV By the Numbers: NBA, U.S. Open Soar in Watch-Time, TV Ad Impressions

“With sports coming back to a somewhat normal schedule, the excitement of the  crowd as well as the relief of people going back to their daily routines all contribute  to driving up sports ratings,” said sports analyst Lee Berke.

The live sports programming lineup will continue to heat up in July, with high profile events like the NBA Finals, NHL Stanley Cup finals, the Copa America and UEFA Euro 2020 soccer tournaments and the Summer Olympics -- along with major pay-per-view events like the July 10 UFC 264 Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier 3 event and the July 24 Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder 3 heavyweight boxing event.

Even as people return to their normal lives after the pandemic shutdown, Berke says viewers will continue to return home to watch must-see live sports events on the small screen.

“If they are going to be outside for a picnic or a party they know they can watch a movie or series later on demand,” he said. “But when it comes to watching a game seven or other big sports event, they’ll have to be in front of the TV set watching the game.” 

The final TV sports weekend of June kicks off with Saturday and Sunday coverage of the UEFA Euro 2020 soccer tournament. Round 16 tournament games include Saturday’s Wales-Denmark game on ESPN and the Italy-Austria contest on ABC. On Sunday, ESPN will televise the Netherlands-Czech Republic game, while ABC carries the Belgium-Portugal match. 

Fox on Sunday will air a Copa America soccer tournament Group Stage matchup between Ecuador and Brazil.

Showtime will distribute a Saturday pay-per-view boxing card featuring the Gervonta Davis-Mario Barrios super lightweight championship match. 

Read also: PPV Boxing's Summer Bonanza 

The NBA Playoffs continue Saturday with game four of the Western Conference finals series between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers on ESPN. TNT will continue its coverage of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday with game three of the Milwaukee Bucks-Atlanta Hawks series.

On the baseball diamond, Fox on Saturday will televise the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox game, while FS1 will air the Kansas City Royals-Texas Rangers afternoon matchup.  ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will feature the Chicago Cubs-Los Angeles Dodgers game.

NBC’s Olympics trials coverage will feature Saturday afternoon men’s gymnastics coverage and primetime track and field coverage on both Saturday and Sunday.

Soccer remains an ever-important ratings and revenue driver for Hispanic sports networks.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that Univision Deportes and ESPN Deportes are each gearing up for tournaments they believe will be key draws for sponsors and viewers.

The 100th year anniversary edition of the Copa America Centenario tournament, to be held in the U.S. for the first time, is typically the biggest sporting event in the Americas. The tournament pits teams from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL member nations in a format similar to the World Cup.

While the first ball won't be kicked until June 3, Univision Deportes is already in pregame mode. Airing each Monday at 9 p.m. is America Redonda - Camino a la Copa America Centenario. The weekly show features an in-depth look at everything leading up to the tournament.

Hosts Luis Omar Tapia, Diego Balado, and José Luis López Salido will conduct exclusive interviews with the managers/head coaches of the participating teams, including Juan Carlos Osorio (Mexico), Jürgen Klinsmann (United States) and Gerardo Martino (Argentina). 

Additionally, Univision Deportes has set airdates of April 10, May 1 and May 15 for the 60-minute investigative feature Expediente. Featuring an in-depth look at failures and successes in the world of sports, the show is hosted by Adriana Monsalve, Lindsay Casinelli, Alejandro Berry and Iván Kasanzew and will focus solely on the tournament for its third season.

Meanwhile, Univision Deportes viewers can watch some of the best Copa America matches from years past, as they will be replayed daily until the start of this year's tournament.

Meanwhile, ESPN Deportes has already released its coverage schedule of the 2016 International Champions Cup tournament, which begins July 23 at 12:30 p.m. ET with Scotland’s Celtic vs. England’s Leicester City and concludes August 13 with Celtic vs. Italian side Inter Milan.

The ICC matches are part of an agreement with Relevent Sports granting ESPN the U.S. English-language and Spanish-language rights to the tournament through 2018.

 “The ICC is a great complement to our lineup of marquee international events this summer led by UEFA Euro 2016,” ESPN senior vice president of programming Scott Guglielmino said. “We look forward to showcasing some of the best soccer brands in the world across our media platforms to our bilingual soccer fans.”

And North American Soccer League (NASL) fans can now follow their favorite teams on beIN Sports, thanks to a rights deal with the second-tier U.S. pro soccer league that runs through 2017. Network coverage kicked off April 2 with Miami FC vs. the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

“With our new partnership with NASL firmly in place, we’re betting big on North American programming rooted in a growing U.S. fan base,” beIN Sports managing director Yousef Al-Obaidly said. “Featuring some of the country’s top professional soccer talent, this acquisition represents the first time we hold the rights to a domestic soccer league, further showcasing our commitment to providing access to the best sports leagues and events, both here and abroad.”

The NASL is comprised of 12 teams in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and uses a split-season schedule running from April to early November, with a four-week break in July.

“We're obviously very excited to announce our new partnership with beIN Sports,” said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson. “Like the NASL, beIN Sports has quickly grown in importance and stature across North America. Our savvy pro soccer fans here in North America are watching beIN Sports on a regular basis, and now they'll be able to watch exciting and competitive NASL action every week.”

The New York Cosmos enter the 2016 season as defending champions, and will face additional competition as three new teams make their NASL debut this spring: Oklahoma City-based Rayo OKC, owned by Spanish club Rayo Vallecano; Miami FC, co-owned by Italian soccer legend Paolo Maldini; and Puerto Rico FC, owned by New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.

Of course, beIN Sports's mainstay soccer telecasts are the likes of "El Clasico," the Spanish La Liga contests between F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid. The latest rendition, on April 2 from Barcelona's Camp Nou, ended in a 2-1 victory for the visiting team, with the late, winning goal coming from Cristiano Ronaldo. The broadcast averaged more than 1.9 million total viewers across the English and Spanish language channels and dominated on social media: on a tweets per unique author basis it had the most socially engaged audience of any sporting event on the day, including two Final Four games in the NCAA basketball tournament on TBS, beIN Sports said. The most-tweeted moment of the game was when Ronaldo scored the winning goal: 11,000 tweets at 4:15 p.m., according to the programmer, citing Nielsen. In Spanish, it was the top soccer telecast year to date against all cable networks regardless of language, the programmer said. 

The 44th edition of the Copa America tournament kicks off in June from Chile, and the host nation has received a favorable draw.

beIN Sports and beIN SPORTS en Español on Monday night provided live coverage of the draw for the 2015 Copa América from Viña del Mar, with Chile, ranked 13th in the FIFA world rankings, heading Group A, where it will square off against México (17), Ecuador (27) and Bolivia (103). The tourney begins with Chile batttling Ecuador in Santiago on Thursday, June 11.

The networks hold the U.S. rights to the competition, featuring the 10 CONMEBOL South American teams, plus El Tri and Jamaica.

Group B comprises Argentina (2), Uruguay (8), Paraguay (76) and Jamaica (113), while Group C houses Colombia (3), Brazil (6), Peru (54) and Venezuela (85).

The top two sides from each group, and the two best third-place finishers, advance to the quarterfinals and the event’s knockout stage.

 “We are thrilled to be the exclusive provider of the 2015 Copa América tournament in both English and Spanish, across all platforms and devices,” said Yousef Al-Obaidliy, deputy CEO of beIN Media Group. “Copa América is among the most-viewed and popular soccer events for fans worldwide. In the U.S. specifically, we will provide original content and coverage showcasing the best selected teams for true soccer fans in their preferred language and anywhere they would like to watch it.”

The final group matches are scheduled for Sunday, June 21. The knockout round begins on Wednesday, June 24 ahead of the final on Saturday, July 4.