For the first time possibly ever, Major League Baseball slipped under a 1.0 rating on broadcast TV.
Regional MLB action on FOX earned a 0.9 final rating and 1.3 million viewers last Saturday afternoon, down 31% in ratings and 33% in viewership from last year (1.3, 1.9M) and very likely the lowest rated MLB telecast ever on broadcast TV.
Previous telecasts have earned a 1.0 rating, including regional coverage on FOX just a week earlier. Prior to this week, there was no publicly available record of any MLB window on broadcast slipping below that mark.
For some perspective, the lowest NBA rating ever on broadcast was a 1.0 for a Suns/Kings regular season game on ABC in 2007. The lowest NHL rating was a 0.4 for Rangers/Devils on NBC during the lockout-shortened 2013 regular season.
Considering the lack of promotion, the poor timeslot, competition from college football and the recent downturn for MLB ratings on national television, the numbers are not surprising.
Despite the possible record low, MLB on FOX had a higher rating and more viewers than the Illinois/Washington college football game that aired afterward (0.7, 1.0M).
(Sat. numbers from Sports Business Daily)
