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Television
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Written by Maury Brown
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Thursday, 09 August 2012 23:08 |
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This year, unlike any other year in Major League Baseball, the postseason is different. As part of the latest labor agreement, MLB and the MLBPA agreed to expand the number of teams in the postseason from eight to ten. The additions are the #5 seeds in each League. How it played with the regular and postseason schedule has been the issue.
On Thursday, MLB announced the schedule for the 2012 Postseason, which is set to open with the inaugural pair of Wild Card Games on Friday, October 5th. Game One of the 108th World Series is scheduled for Wednesday, October 24th in the ballpark of the National League Champions.
Changes to the Postseason format include the following:
- Clubs from the same division will be allowed to play one another in either the Wild Card Game or the Division Series.
- Tiebreaker games will be played to determine Division Championships, even if the two tied Clubs are assured of participating in the Postseason. If a Division Championship tiebreaker game is necessary, the head-to-head record between the tied Clubs will determine home-field advantage. If the head-to-head record is tied, then division record will be the next tiebreaker.
- If two Clubs are tied for both Wild Card berths, home-field advantage will be determined by the head-to-head record between the tied Clubs. If the head-to-head record is tied, then division record will be the next tiebreaker.
Following the Wednesday, October 3rd scheduled close to the regular season, any necessary regular season tiebreaker games would be broadcast exclusively by TBS. The new Wild Card Games will launch the Postseason on Friday, October 5th and will be broadcast exclusively by TBS. This marks the second consecutive year that the Postseason will begin on a Friday. Before last year, the Postseason had not begun on a Friday since the 1915 World Series.
Two Division Series will begin on Saturday, October 6th, each involving matchups with two Division Champions squaring off. A full slate of Division Series games – two series openers, each involving a Wild Card Game winner, and a pair of Game Twos – is scheduled for Sunday, October 7th. The Division Series will run from Saturday, October 6th though Friday, October 12th, with two potential Game Fives on both Thursday, October 11th and Friday, October 12th. TBS will air 18 of the 20 Division Series games, while MLB Network will debut its live Postseason game coverage with one telecast on Sunday, October 7th and another on Wednesday, October 10th.
For the 2012 Postseason only, the five-game Division Series will begin with two home games for lower seeds, followed by up to three home games for higher seeds. This one-year change, which eliminates a travel day prior to a decisive Game Five of the Division Series, was necessary because the 2012 regular season schedule was established before the agreement on the new Postseason format was reached. Next year, the Division Series will return to the 2-2-1 format used in previous years.
The American League Championship Series will begin exclusively on TBS on Saturday, October 13th, and Sunday, October 14th will feature Game One of the National League Championship Series exclusively on FOX and Game Two of the ALCS on TBS. A potential Game Seven of the ALCS will be scheduled for Sunday, October 21st, while a potential Game Seven of the NLCS will be set for Monday, October 22nd.
Game One of the 2012 World Series will be scheduled for Wednesday, October 24th. Game Three of the Fall Classic will shift to the city of the American League Champions on Saturday, October 27th. A Game Seven, if necessary, would be played on Thursday, November 1st in the N.L. city. The scheduled off days during the World Series are Friday, October 26th and Tuesday, October 30th. In its 17th season as the official network broadcaster of Major League Baseball, FOX Sports will present exclusive live telecast coverage of the World Series.
ESPN Radio will provide live national coverage of all 2012 MLB Postseason games, including the Wild Card Games.
The complete 2012 Postseason schedule, subject to change, can be viewed by selecting READ MORE
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 11 July 2012 10:54 |
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It may be more surprising than the final score. Despite an 8-0 shellacking by the National League over the American League in Tuesday night’s 2012 MLB All-Star Game, television ratings were actually up. According to the overnight numbers from Nielsen, FOX pulled an 8.1 national rating, up 3 percent from the 7.9 rating from last year’s game in Phoenix.
So, that means ratings were "good"? Not exactly. The ratings last year were the lowest on record. That means the 2012 MLB All-Star Game was the second-lowest rated, ever.
The highest ratings for last night's ASG were in St. Louis where the rating number was a staggering 20.5. Other high ratings were reported in Detroit, Cincinnati, and Dallas.
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes.He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
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Written by Maury Brown
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Thursday, 17 May 2012 12:04 |
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 When MLB and the MLBPA announced that there would be a change to the Wild Card format with the addition of two new teams, one of the questions that surfaced was, who would air the games? Today, that was answered.
Major League Baseball and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. announced that TBS will exclusively televise the American League and National League Wild Card games in 2012 and 2013. The new Postseason format will feature the two Wild Card teams in the American League and National League playing in a single-elimination game with each winner advancing to compete with the three division champions from its League in the Division Series. MLB also announced that two Division Series games in each of the 2012 and 2013 Postseasons will shift from TBS to MLB Network.
While financial terms were not disclosed, the additional postseason games being aired provides yet another new revenue stream for baseball.
To add, TBS will also continue to televise any necessary regular season tie-breaker games. The network has recently aired three memorable regular season tie-breakers, including Padres vs. Rockies in 2007, Twins vs. White Sox in 2008, and Tigers vs. Twins in 2009.
In a landmark moment for the league-owned MLB Network, it was also announced that MLBN will exclusively televise two Division Series games in each of the next two years, marking the first time MLB Network will air live Postseason games.
“The new format will create two compelling Wild Card match-ups for fans that will begin our Postseason with unprecedented pressure and implications,” said Commissioner Selig. “We are confident that TBS will provide outstanding coverage and promotion of the games. I am also very pleased that this arrangement allows for MLB Network to air Postseason games for the first time. MLB Network has done a remarkable job with its live game coverage and I am certain that its extraordinary work will continue as it produces Postseason games.”
“We applaud Major League Baseball on their decision to expand Postseason eligibility and we’re excited to build upon our long-standing partnership with MLB by adding these highly anticipated exclusive Wild Card games to our Postseason coverage on TBS,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “We believe the additional single-elimination Wild Card spots will build upon the popularity of the sport and will serve as a great launching pad for our Division Series and ALCS coverage on TBS.”
The new format this season marks the first amendment to the Postseason since MLB utilized the six-division, eight-team Postseason structure for the first time in 1995.
Source: TBS, MLB
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Thursday, 03 May 2012 13:28 |
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Fueled largely by the Texas Rangers, FOX is showing strong ratings for the regional sports networks that they host with increases on 20 percent over last year at this time.
Interest in Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish has been a large factor in the increases on FOX RSNs. FOX reports that four of his five starts have been on FOX Sports SW and have averaged a 9.1 rating, including three of the four highest-rated Rangers telecast of all-time.
That has kicked the Rangers into first place in the ratings for the FOX-held RSNs. The Rangers on FOX Sports Southwest (FSSW) lead all MLB teams with an 89% increase in local ratings compared to April 2011. Eight of the top ten highest-rated Rangers telecasts on FSSW occurred last month. And, Rangers games have out-rated the first two games of the Mavericks-Thunder NBA playoff series in head-to-head competition in Dallas.
We have had a great response from advertisers—especially in renewals from last season,” said Kyle Sherman, executive vice president, Home Team Sports for FOX. “Inventory in the first half of the season is tight for many of our teams, so we’ll continue to work with buyers on post-All-Star Game opportunities.”
It’s not just the Rangers that are showing increased interest.Ten Fox RSNs show a year-to-year ratings increase for MLB telecasts in April, including seven in double digits:
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Team
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Network
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Increase
(vs. Apr ’11)
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Local Ratings / Households
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Market
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Rangers
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FS Southwest
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89%
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7.5 / 194K
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Dallas
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Dodgers
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Prime Ticket
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67%
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2.3 / 128K
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Los Angeles
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Diamondbacks
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FS Arizona
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53%
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4.2 / 77K
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Phoenix
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Rays
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Sun Sports
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51%
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5.3 / 95K
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Tampa
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Tigers
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FS Detroit
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50%
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9.2 / 170K
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Detroit
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Braves
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SportSouth
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39%
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2.8 / 64K
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Atlanta
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Cardinals
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FS Midwest
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15%
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9.4 / 118K
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St. Louis
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Source: FOX Sports
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
Follow The Biz of Baseball on Twitter
Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Tuesday, 03 April 2012 17:14 |
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With April being World Autism Month, The Biz of Baseball will occasionally be highlighting related news…
When I attended the Baseball Winter Meetings this past December in Dallas, one of the first encounters I had at the Anatole Hotel was with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network. Walking up to say hi to Ken, he beat me to the punch.
“Maury, I’ve made it a priority to get a bow-tie from Autism Speaks for April.”
Such is Ken Rosenthal, one of the nicer guys you'll meet.
It took more work than was initially thought, but through Autism Speaks, and Bow-Tie Cause, the man that is now known for his bow-ties as part of the FOX MLB Game of the Week, Rosenthal will be wearing an Autism Speaks bow-tie on April 28. And while the player has yet to be determined, he’ll be interviewing one that has a story to tell as it relates to autism.
A special thanks to FOX' MLB Game of the Week and Rosenthal for promoting a different charity each week.
Click to donate
to Autism Speaks |
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
Follow The Biz of Baseball on Twitter
Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 28 March 2012 01:28 |
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Hard to believe, but MLB’s 2012 season is about to unfold while most of America is asleep. The “Gloops Japan Opening Series 2012” (yes, “Gloops” is the title sponsor) starts Weds and ends Thursday when the Athletics and Seattle Mariners play at the Tokyo Dome.
But, many have asked when and where on the dial they can watch the game. Here’s the lowdown:
Live on ROOT SPORTS:
For you late nighters in the Pacific NW, the games will be broadcast live on ROOT SPORTS NW at 3:10am PT (28th) and 2:10am PT (29th).
MLB Extra Innings and MLB.TV:
For those outside of the Pacific NW that have MLB Extra Innings, or MLB.TV you can watch the game live via the ROOTS SPORTS NW feed. Game times the same as live (6:10am ET for Weds, 5:10am ET on Thurs.). The games will be blacked out on MLB Network in the Mariners’ home television territory.
MLB Network:
MLB Network will televise both contests on tape delay, with the first game airing on Wednesday, March 28 at 9:00 a.m. ET/6:00 a.m. PT and the second game on Thursday, March 29 at 9:00 a.m. ET/6:00 a.m. PT. In addition, each game will re-air the same day at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. MLB Network will televise ROOT Sports’ feed of both games, which will be available on MLB Network in the Athletics’ home television territory. The games will be blacked out on MLB Network in the Mariners’ home television territory.
In Canada:
Per MLB, the Japan Series will be available in Canada on Bell TV via the Extra Innings package live. The series is also available on Rogers’ Extra Innings offering, which is part of the Super Sports Pak and is available to Rogers subscribers, as well as subscribers to the following providers: Access, Bragg, Cogeco, Compton, Execulink, Kincardine, Shaw, Source, Videotron, Westman.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Saturday, 17 March 2012 15:57 |
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 While the Los Angeles Dodgers sale looms large, and with it, a new broadcast deal, today, the club announced their 2012 regular season broadcast schedule, which includes approximately two-thirds of their games on television on PRIME TICKET and one-third on KCAL 9. National and regional telecasts on FOX and ESPN complete the schedule. On the radio, fans can listen to all games on Dodgers Radio AM 570 Fox Sports Los Angeles and in Spanish on Univision Radio’s KTNQ 1020.
The Dodgers begin the season on PRIME TICKET on Thursday, April 5 as they play the Padres in San Diego at 4:05 p.m. PRIME TICKET will also televise Opening Day in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 10, when the Dodgers take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:10 p.m., as the team celebrates the 50th anniversary of Dodger Stadium presented by State Farm. PRIME TICKET’s season preview special will air on Wednesday, March 28 at 10:30 p.m.
National telecasts for the Dodgers this season include ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball on May 20 vs. the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals and four Saturday games on FOX. FOX telecasts include June 9 at Seattle, June 23 at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, June 30 against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium and September 8 in San Francisco.
Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, entering an unprecedented 63rd season as the “Voice of the Dodgers,” will call more than 100 games for the Dodgers this year, including all televised Dodger home games and road telecasts in California and Arizona. The first three innings of each of the games Scully calls will be simulcast on the radio. Scully’s 62 years of service constitute the longest tenure of any broadcaster in sports history.
For other road games, the broadcast booth will be manned by former Major Leaguer Steve Lyons, who is returning for his eighth season as an analyst on Dodger telecasts, and Eric Collins, who is entering his fourth season calling Dodger baseball.
The Dodgers’ English-language radio broadcast will be led by the award-winning team of Rick Monday and Charley Steiner. Monday begins his 19th season as a Dodger broadcaster and 27th overall with the organization, including eight as a player. Steiner enters his eighth season as a play-by-play announcer for the team.
Hall of Famer Jaime Jarrín, Pepe Yñiguez and legendary Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela will call the action in Spanish for the Dodgers. Jarrín enters his 54th season in the Dodgers’ Spanish-language radio booth and Yñiguez will begin his 14th. Valenzuela enters his 10th season calling games for the Dodgers after a 17-year playing career.
PRIME TICKET enters its 16th season as a telecast partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dodger season coverage on PRIME TICKET in 2012 will again feature “Dodgers Live” pre- and post-game shows at home and on the road led by Patrick O’Neal and Steve Lyons. PRIME TICKET and sister network FOX Sports West have provided local sports coverage to Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii for more than 25 years.
KCAL 9 is in its seventh season as the over-the-air broadcast home of the Dodgers and will once again present all of its regular season Dodger game broadcasts in high definition. KCAL 9’s Dodger gameday coverage will include the station’s THINK BLUE TV pre-game show with sports anchor Gary Miller and former Dodger Eric Karros. KCAL 9 and sister station CBS 2 also provide comprehensive year-round Dodger coverage on their nightly sports show Sports Central.
Dodgers Radio AM 570 Fox Sports Los Angeles is entering its first year as the Dodgers’ flagship radio station. AM 570 will broadcast all 162 regular season games as well as post-game Dodger Talk with Kevin Kennedy and David Vassegh.
Dodger games this season will be available in Spanish on Univision Radio KTNQ 1020AM for the second consecutive season.
SELECT READ MORE TO SEE THE ENTIRE 2012 DODGER TV AND RADIO SCHEDULE
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Written by Maury Brown
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Saturday, 29 October 2011 12:51 |
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It didn’t have the excitement of Game 6, but given its do-or-die factor, Game 7 of the 2011 World Series wound up being a ratings hit.
Based on the fast overnight numbers, FOX saw a 16.2 national television ratings number for Game 7, which saw the Cardinals beat the Rangers 6-2, and with it the club’s 11 World Series Championship. In the home markets for the two teams involves, ratings were, understandably, exceptionally high. In St. Louis the overnight ratings number was 52.7 while the Dallas/Ft. Worth market pulled a 40.3 overnight rating.
The 16.2 rating was the highest fast overnight television rating number for a World Series game since the Red Sox broke their 86 year futility mark in 2004, pulling in a 19.7 overnight rating. That series went just four games with the Red Sox sweeping the Cardinals.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Friday, 28 October 2011 12:14 |
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It will go down as one of – if not the – best Game 6s in World Series history, right there with the ’91 game between the Braves and Twins. Last night’s extra innings thriller that saw the Cardinals best the Rangers 10-9 on a walkoff homerun by David Freese in the 11th inning, pulled in television viewers to the game on FOX pulling a 13.8 national fast overnight rating. The game pulled an incredible 49.4 rating in St. Louis and 47.1 rating in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market. How does that compare? For context, the fast overnight number for the last Game 6 in 2009 between the Phillies and Yankees was a 15.5. But, remember, the combined market size of New York and Philadelphia is almost 3 times as large at St. Louis and DFW with over 6 million more available viewers.
Bottom line, FOX and MLB are ecstatic with the numbers, as are those that sat up late to watch it.
Oh, and what were the final numbers for that last Game 7 in 2002 between the Angels and Giants? Try 17.9/29 with 30.8 million viewers.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Monday, 24 October 2011 12:34 |
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Last night’s Game 4 of the World Series drew a 9.2/14 television rating, with 15.2 million viewers, according to FOX Sports, an increase of 2% from last year’s Game 4 between the Giants and Rangers that saw a 9.0/15 share. There had not been a Game 4 of the World Series that had gone up against Sunday Night Football until last night.
For Major League Baseball and FOX, they lucked out as the Saints demolished the Colts 62-7 in the Sunday night game on NBC. Because of the blowout, early fast overnight numbers show NBC pulled 8.2 rating.
Whether MLB lucked out, or not, while it was not the lowest rated ever, it was close. Last year’s Game 4 still holds that position in the history books.
How does last night’s Game 4 rate? Here’s how it compares to the rest of the 2011 Fall Classic:
- Game 1 (Weds) – 8.7/14 (14.2 million viewers)
- Game 2 (Thurs) – 8.9/14 (14.3 million viewers)
- Game 3 (Sat) – 8.2/12 (11.3 million viewers)
- Game 4 (Sun) – 9.2/14 (15.2 million viewers)
Source: Nielsen Media Research, FOX Sports
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
Follow The Biz of Baseball on Twitter
Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook |
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Television
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