Ratings for the Phillies/Rays World Series dropped dramatically from Game 1 to Game 2.
The Rays’ series-tying victory on Thursday night drew a 9.2/15 overnight rating on FOX, down 26% from a 12.5 overnight for Game 2 between the Rockies and Red Sox in ’07, and the lowest overnight rating ever for a World Series game that did not take place on a Saturday night.
The 9.2 overnight is the lowest ever for a Game 2 in the World Series, though it should be pointed out that in previous years, Game 2 aired on a Sunday night, usually following NFL football.
To put the 9.2 overnight in perspective, no game of the NBA Finals drew less than a 10.2 overnight. The 9.2 still tops the overnights for marquee sporting events such as The Masters and the Kentucky Derby.
Last year, the final rating for Game 2 of the World Series fell 11% from the overnight rating. Should a similar result occur this year, the final rating for Phillies/Rays would fall in the low-to-mid 8.0 range. The lowest rated World Series game ever was Game 1 of the 2006 series between the Tigers and Cardinals, which drew an 8.0 final rating.
In prime time, Game 2 drew a 9.2/14, indicating that there was no growth in ratings during the post-prime time portion. The prime time portion of the game drew 11.7 million viewers and a 3.7 rating among adults 18-49, good enough to help FOX to a second-place finish in both categories.
