MLB Postseason: Cardinals/Giants Earns Worst Game 7 Audience in Baseball History

Posted by | 10/23/2012 at 6:09 pm

The seventh and final game of the National League Championship Series was a ratings disaster for FOX.

Game 7 of the Cardinals/Giants National League Championship Series drew a 4.9 final rating and 8.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — down 38% in ratings and 39% in viewership from Red Sox/Rays Game 7 on TBS in 2008 (7.9, 13.357M), and down 58% in both measures compared to Indians/Red Sox Game 7 on FOX in 2007 (11.7, 19.154M).

Compared to the most recent NLCS Game 7, ratings and viewership for Monday’s game declined by 55% and 51%, respectively, from Cardinals/Mets in 2006 (10.8, 16.528M).

By a wide margin, Cardinals/Giants ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed Game 7 of any Major League Baseball playoff round. The previous low was set by Red Sox/Rays in 2008.

The game was obviously impacted by competition from the presidential debate and the Lions/Bears “Monday Night Football” game. Monday’s final rating peaked at 5.8 during the final half-hour before the debate, which attracted a whopping 59.2 million viewers across ten networks.

The “Monday Night Football” game, meanwhile, trounced Game 7 head-to-head. Lions/Bears topped Game 7 by 35% in ratings (6.6 to 4.9), 32% in viewership (10.7M to 8.1M), and an incredible 88% in the adults 18-49 demographic (4.5 to 2.4).

To reiterate, among adults under the age of fifty, a regular season NFL game on cable nearly doubled Game 7 of a League Championship Series between the last two World Series champions.

The previous two times Game 7 of a League Championship Series aired opposite regular season NFL coverage, baseball won the head-to-head battle easily. In 2008, Red Sox/Rays beat Seahawks/Buccaneers on “Sunday Night Football” by 25% in ratings (7.9 to 6.3) and 33% in viewership (13.4M to 10.0M). The previous year, Indians/Red Sox topped Steelers/Broncos on “SNF” by 41% in ratings (11.7 to 8.3) and 44% in viewership (19.2M to 13.3M).

Game 6 Viewership Down Slightly: On Sunday, the penultimate game of the Cardinals/Giants series attracted 7.6 million viewers — down 1% from Tigers/Rangers Game 6 on a Saturday night last year (7.702M), and down 35% from Giants/Phillies Game 6 on a Saturday night in 2010 (11.639M).

Not surprisingly, considering how poorly the NLCS performed overall, the game ranks as the least-viewed Game 6 of an LCS ever on broadcast television.

Ratings/Viewership For Game 7 of the MLB League Championship Series
Past decade

Year Date Away Home Net Rating Viewers
2012 Mon., 10/22/12 Cardinals Giants FOX
4.9
8.1M
2008 Sun., 10/19/08 Red Sox Rays TBS
7.9
13.4M
2007 Sun., 10/21/07 Indians Red Sox FOX
11.7
19.2M
2006 Thu., 10/19/06 Cardinals Mets FOX
10.8
16.5M
2004 Thu., 10/21/04 Astros Cardinals FOX
13.0
19.8M
Wed., 10/20/04 Red Sox Yankees FOX
19.4
31.5M
2003 Thu., 10/16/03 Red Sox Yankees FOX
17.1
27.5M
Wed., 10/15/03 Marlins Cubs FOX
16.9
26.5M

(Monday’s numbers from Fox Sports press release [.pdf], with additional information from Entertainment Weekly, TV By the Numbers [1], [2])

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  • Tom

    How about consider the game was a total blowout

  • JakeFrankie

    Even though the game was a blowout, It’s crazy to think Astros vs Cards got a 13.0 , Now this game between the past 2 WS champs only got a 4.9?

    Paulsen is there anything to note why MLB ratings are so down? 

    • Guest

      13.0? It’s a Game 7 with not a whole lot of competition. Roger Clemens was pitching too. Houston is a huge market

  • Chad

    Nobody wants to watch baseball anymore.

    • Paulsen

      I wouldn’t go that far. Cards/Giants was a quantifiable bore: http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2012/10/was-the-2012-lcs-round-the-most-boring-ever/

      A more interesting matchup probably would have attracted better numbers.

      • travis y

        yankees ratings were down across the board this year, too. so im not even sure about that. 

        playoff ratings were just down across the board. competition from the debates didnt help, but big markets like chicago, boston and philly not being invested in these playoff also killed. all of those teams were done by july and their fans checked out. 

        it also doesnt help that baseball, unlike the nba, doesnt have any superstar players. they have never been able to create someone like lebron or durant or kobe that transcends the sport and can become a power draw to go with the big market teams. 

  • Stingbee30

    No Masking here…It shows that Baseball days are numbered in terms of attracting viewership…Americans are slowly losing interest in this sport….Too long and outdated…This overall negative trend will not end anytime soon…Baseball will fall from the top 3 sports tier in the coming years.  In another 10 years or so, it will be NFL followed by NBA and than Soccer (the Real Football).  In 20 yrs or so, it will be the NFL, Soccer, and than the NBA.

    • Tippy

      You people are hilarious with your insert sport will be huge in x years predictions. Not many people are going to watch a 9-0 Game 7(7-0 after the 3rd) when a PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION is also on

  • Marlon Nicholson

    Its going to be NFL NBA NHL MLS
    Baseball is too long and boring. Its a

    good thing NBC didn’t waste billions on MLB like TBS FOX &ESPN.