Ratings and viewership declined for the first two games of the Giants/Phillies NLCS on FOX.
Sunday’s Giants/Phillies Game 2 drew a 5.3 final rating and 8.835 million viewers on FOX, down 9% in ratings and 6% in viewership from Game 2 of last year’s ALCS on FOX (LAA/NYY: 5.8, 9.379 mil), but up 56% and 76%, respectively, from Game 2 of the 2008 NLCS on FOX (LAD/PHI: 3.4, 5.022 mil).
Last year’s game aired on a Saturday night, the least-viewed night of the week, while the 2008 game aired on a Friday afternoon. Game 2 of last year’s Phillies/Dodgers NLCS on TBS drew a 2.9 U.S. rating and 4.429 million viewers, also on a Friday afternoon.
Despite the decline, Giants/Phillies Game 2 ranks as the top game of the 2010 MLB Postseason (through Monday), topping all three Rangers/Yankees games on TBS.
Sunday’s game had the benefit of an NFL lead-in (the Week 6 national window on FOX), but also had the disadvantage of airing directly opposite another NFL telecast (Sunday Night Football on NBC).
On Saturday, Giants/Phillies Game 1 drew a 4.2 final rating and 7.126 million viewers on FOX, down 19% in ratings and 16% in viewership from Game 1 of last year’s ALCS (LAA/NYY: 5.2, 8.439 mil) and down 18% and 8%, respectively, from Game 1 of the ’08 NLCS (LAD/PHI: 5.1, 7.735 mil).
Last year’s Game 1 aired on a Friday night; the 2008 Game 1 aired on a Thursday night. Game 1 of last year’s Phillies/Dodgers NLCS on TBS drew a 4.3 rating and 6.837 million viewers.
Through two games, FOX is averaging a 4.7 rating and 7.9 million viewers for the NLCS, down 16% and 12%, respectively, from the first two games of last year’s ALCS (5.6, 9.0 mil).
Keep in mind both games were blacked out to Cablevision subscribers due to a dispute between the cable operator and FOX parent company News Corporation.
(FOX press release from Fang’s Bites; pifeedback.com; pifeedback.com)
