With the network’s featured game postponed due to Hurricane Irene, last week’s edition of MLB on FOX earned one of the lowest ratings in recent memory for baseball on broadcast television.
Regional MLB action featuring Tigers/Twins in 61% of markets earned a mere 1.1 final rating and 1.685 million viewers on FOX last Saturday, down 8% in ratings and 10% in viewership from the 22nd MLB on FOX telecast last season (CIN/STL*: 1.2, 1.874M).
The 1.1 rating is tied as the lowest for MLB on FOX since the current television deal began in the 2007 season. The only other game to draw a rating as low came in August 2008, opposite the Olympic Games.
It was not immediately clear whether the 1.1 ranks as the lowest rating ever for Major League Baseball on broadcast television. For some perspective, the lowest ever NBA rating on broadcast was a 1.0 for Suns/Kings on ABC in 2007, and the lowest ever NHL rating on broadcast was a 0.5, set by two separate games on NBC.
Last week’s rating was undoubtedly affected by Hurricane Irene. The storm caused the cancellation of the Braves/Mets game that was originally supposed to be featured by FOX.
Of note, MLB on FOX drew a lower rating than all three Little League World Series games on ABC last weekend — and was even outdrawn by Sunday’s coverage of the World Track & Field Championships on NBC.
(Nielsen)
