For the second straight year, FOX drew the lowest average rating ever for Major League Baseball on broadcast television.
FOX Saturday Baseball averaged a 2.0 rating for 26 telecasts this season, down 13% from the previous record low of 2.3 last year. The decline in ratings may have been even larger if not for the solid 2.3 rating FOX drew on the last Saturday of the season.
To put the 2.0 rating in perspective, MLB on FOX finished behind the NBA on ABC (2.2 average for 19 games) for the first time since 2002.
Only one MLB on FOX telecast drew a 3.0 rating during the regular season (Red Sox/Yankees, July 5), while 11 telecasts drew ratings below 2.0.
Average ratings for MLB on FOX.
regular season
2008: 2.0 (26 games)
2007: 2.3 (26 games)
2006: 2.4 (18 games)
2005: 2.6 (18 games)
2004: 2.7 (19 games)
2003: 2.7 (18 games)
2002: 2.5 (18 games)
2001: 2.6 (18 games)
2000: 2.6 (19 games)
1999: 2.9 (18 games)
1998: 3.1 (18 games)
