Hampered by a weak League Championship Series, Turner Sports’ coverage of the 2011 Major League Baseball postseason was down double-digits from last year.
TBS and TNT averaged a 2.8 U.S. rating and 4.299 million viewers for coverage of the MLB postseason, down 22% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year (3.6, 5.627M), and down 15% and 17%, respectively, from 2009 (3.3, 5.146M).
While ratings and viewership declined slightly for the Division Series, it was not until the Cardinals/Brewers NLCS that the numbers fell of the proverbial cliff.
The Cardinals’ six-game win averaged a 2.9 U.S. rating and 4.613 million viewers, down 43% and 44%, respectively, from last year’s ALCS on TBS (more LCS details available here).
One major factor for this year’s decline was the postseason schedule. Because the Division Series began on the weekend instead of midweek, the opening games of the postseason faced college football and the NFL. The NLCS began on a Sunday afternoon, directly opposite the NFL national window.
In addition, the schedule resulted in several overlapping games this year, especially during the Division Series. Three games aired on TNT, each of which aired opposite game coverage on TBS. Meanwhile, due to rain and extra innings, Games 2 and 4 of the ALCS on FOX overlapped with the coverage of the NLCS.
Despite the declines, TBS earned two of the ten largest postseason audiences ever on cable this postseason. Game 5 of the Tigers/Yankees ALDS (6.2, 9.720M) ranks fifth, while Game 5 of the Cardinals/Phillies NLDS (5.1, 8.389M) ranks ninth.
On the flip side, this year included the three smallest postseason audiences ever on Turner Sports — Brewers/Diamondbacks Game 3 on TNT (1.2, 2.107M), Diamondbacks/Brewers Game 2 on TBS (1.3, 2.132M), and Rangers/Rays Game 2 on TNT (1.4, 2.165M). All three games, it should be pointed out, aired opposite other postseason action.
For some perspective, TNT averaged a 3.5 and 5.534 million viewers for coverage of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, the most-viewed NBA postseason in cable history. Keep in mind TNT’s coverage of the first round of the NBA Playoffs was not exclusive.
Ratings/Viewership For 2011 MLB Postseason on TBS
* Tigers/Yankees Game 1 began on Friday, September 30, but was suspended in the second inning.
|
2011 MLB POSTSEASON ON TBS
|
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Date
|
Time
|
Game
|
#
|
Series
|
Net
|
U.S. Rating
|
Viewers (000)
|
| Fri., 9/30/11 | 5 PM | TB 9, TEX 0 |
1
|
TB 1-0
|
TBS |
1.9
|
2,866
|
| Sat., 10/1/11 | 2 PM | ARI 1, MIL 4 |
1
|
MIL 1-0
|
TBS |
1.6
|
2,436
|
| 5 PM | STL 6, PHI 11 |
1
|
PHI 1-0
|
TBS |
2.4
|
3,752
|
|
| 7 PM | TB 6, TEX 8 |
2
|
TIE 1-1
|
TNT |
1.4
|
2,165
|
|
| 8:30 PM | DET 3, NYY 9 |
1
|
NYY 1-0
|
TBS |
2.7
|
4,200
|
|
| Sun., 10/2/11 | 3 PM | DET 5, NYY 3 |
2
|
TIE 1-1
|
TNT |
1.9
|
2,937
|
| 5 PM | ARI 4, MIL 9 |
2
|
MIL 2-0
|
TBS |
1.3
|
2,132
|
|
| 8:30 PM | STL 5, PHI 4 |
2
|
TIE 1-1
|
TBS |
2.3
|
3,749
|
|
| Mon., 10/3/11 | 5 PM | TEX 4, TB 3 |
3
|
TEX 2-1
|
TBS |
2.3
|
3,474
|
| 8:30 PM | NYY 4, DET 5 |
3
|
DET 2-1
|
TBS |
3.9
|
6,046
|
|
| Tue., 10/4/11 | 2 PM | TEX 4, TB 3 |
4
|
TEX 3-1
|
TBS |
1.7
|
2,228
|
| 5 PM | PHI 3, STL 2 |
3
|
PHI 2-1
|
TBS |
3.1
|
4,617
|
|
| 8:30 PM | NYY 10, DET 1 |
4
|
TIE 2-2
|
TBS |
4.6
|
7,012
|
|
| 9:30 PM | MIL 1, ARI 8 |
3
|
MIL 2-1
|
TNT |
1.2
|
2,107
|
|
| Wed., 10/5/11 | 6 PM | PHI 3, STL 5 |
4
|
TIE 2-2
|
TBS |
3.0
|
4,507
|
| 9:30 PM | MIL 6, ARI 10 |
4
|
TIE 2-2
|
TBS |
2.5
|
3,615
|
|
| Thu., 10/6/11 | 8 PM | DET 3, NYY 2 |
5
|
DET 3-2
|
TBS |
6.2
|
9,720
|
| Fri., 10/7/11 | 5 PM | ARI 2, MIL 3 |
5
|
MIL 3-2
|
TBS |
3.0
|
4,592
|
| 8:30 PM | STL 1, PHI 0 |
5
|
STL 3-2
|
TBS |
5.1
|
8,389
|
|
| Sun., 10/10/11 | 4 PM | STL 6, MIL 9 |
1
|
MIL 1-0
|
TBS |
2.1
|
3,350
|
| Mon., 10/11/11 | 8 PM | STL 12, MIL 3 |
2
|
TIE 1-1
|
TBS |
1.9
|
3,021
|
| Wed., 10/13/11 | 8 PM | MIL 3, STL 4 |
3
|
STL 2-1
|
TBS |
2.8
|
4,282
|
| Thu., 10/14/11 | 8 PM | MIL 4, STL 2 |
4
|
TIE 2-2
|
TBS |
3.7
|
5,650
|
| Fri., 10/15/11 | 8 PM | MIL 1, STL 7 |
5
|
STL 3-2
|
TBS |
3.4
|
5,461
|
| Sun., 10/16/11 | 8 PM | STL 12, MIL 6 |
6
|
STL 4-2
|
TBS |
3.6
|
5,938
|
(This year’s numbers from Turner Sports)
