MLB Postseason: NLCS Numbers Not Great on FOX, But Game 5 Hits Playoff-High

The National League Championship Series has been a mediocre television draw thus far, but Friday’s Game 5 hit a postseason-high in ratings and viewership.

Game 5 of the Giants/Cardinals National League Championship Series drew a 4.4 final rating and 7.1 million viewers on FOX Friday night, up 13% in ratings and 25% in viewership from Rangers/Tigers Game 5 in an afternoon window last year (3.9, 5.675M), but down 36% and 37%, respectively, from Giants/Phillies Game 5 in primetime two years ago (6.9, 11.196M).

Compared to Game 5 of last year’s Cardinals/Brewers NLCS on TBS (3.4, 5.461M), ratings and viewership increased by 29% and 30%, respectively.

Overall, Game 5 ranks as the highest rated and most-viewed game of the 2012 MLB Postseason.

Despite Friday’s postseason-high, the Cardinals/Giants series has not been a hit for FOX. Friday’s game was just the second of five games in the series to have an increase in viewership.

Game 4 on Thursday night drew 6.0 million viewers, down 28% from Rangers/Tigers Game 4 last year (8.370M) and down 35% from Phillies/Giants Game 4 in 2010 (9.274M). The game was outdrawn head-to-head by a Seahawks/49ers NFL regular season game on NFL Network (7.0M).

Wednesday’s Game 3, which began in the afternoon but finished in primetime after a rain delay, earned a series-low 3.9 million viewers — down 54% from Rangers/Tigers Game 3 in primetime last year (8.395M), and down 23% from Phillies/Giants Game 3 in the afternoon in 2010 (5.040M). Game 3 earned the smallest audience ever for an LCS game on broadcast television.

Meanwhile, Game 2 on Monday night drew 5.6 million viewers — down 15% from Tigers/Rangers Game 2 in the afternoon last year (6.568M), and down 37% from Giants/Phillies Game 2 on a Sunday night in 2010 (8.835M).

Viewership For First Five Games of the League Championship Series on FOX
Past five seasons
^ indicates afternoon game

(Friday’s numbers from St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Thursday’s numbers from NFL Communications; Wednesday’s numbers from St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Monday’s numbers from TV By the Numbers)