The 2011 World Series got off to the worst start since the last time the Cardinals were involved.
Game 1 between the Rangers and Cardinals earned a 9.6 overnight rating on FOX Wednesday night, down 8% from last year (TEX/SF G1: 10.4), and down 30% from 2009 (PHI/NYY G1: 13.8).
The 9.6 overnight is the lowest for Game 1 of the World Series since 2006 (STL/DET G1: 8.6), the last time Game 1 took place on a Saturday night — and coincidentally, the last time the Cardinals played in the event.
Overall, Wednesday’s game earned the second-lowest overnight ever for a World Series game that did not take place on a Saturday night, ahead of only Phillies/Rays Game 2 in 2008 (9.2).
The Game 1 overnight is especially ominous when one considers that both Rangers/Giants last year and Phillies/Rays in 2008 (10.3) earned better numbers. Those two series are tied as the lowest rated World Series ever.
Since 2000, final ratings for Game 1 of the World Series have declined between 7% and 20% from the overnight (last year’s Game 1 declined by 14%). That puts Wednesday’s game on pace to finish in the 7.7-8.9 range.
Since the World Series moved to its current Wednesday start in 2007, Game 1 has never been the lowest rated game of the series. In fact, in each of the past three years, final ratings for the World Series have declined from Game 1 to Game 2 to Game 3.
For some perspective, Game 1 of the Mavericks/Heat NBA Finals earned a 10.7 overnight on ABC and Game 1 of the Bruins/Canucks Stanley Cup Final drew a 3.2 on NBC.
Game 1 earned a 47.3 rating in St. Louis, up 15% from Cardinals/Tigers Game 1 in 2006 (41.0). According to the Dallas Morning News, the 47.3 is the highest local rating for any World Series game since 2007.
The game drew a 34.2 in Dallas-Ft. Worth, up 1% from Rangers/Giants Game 1 last year (33.9). By comparison, Game 1 of this year’s Mavericks/Heat NBA Finals drew a 29.9 rating in the market, and Game 1 of the 2006 Heat/Mavericks NBA Finals earned a 32.8.
(This year’s numbers from Dallas-Morning News; additional information from Associated Press 10/23/06)
