The seventh and final game of the National League Championship Series was a ratings disaster for FOX.
Game 7 of the Cardinals/Giants National League Championship Series drew a 4.9 final rating and 8.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — down 38% in ratings and 39% in viewership from Red Sox/Rays Game 7 on TBS in 2008 (7.9, 13.357M), and down 58% in both measures compared to Indians/Red Sox Game 7 on FOX in 2007 (11.7, 19.154M).
Compared to the most recent NLCS Game 7, ratings and viewership for Monday’s game declined by 55% and 51%, respectively, from Cardinals/Mets in 2006 (10.8, 16.528M).
By a wide margin, Cardinals/Giants ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed Game 7 of any Major League Baseball playoff round. The previous low was set by Red Sox/Rays in 2008.
The game was obviously impacted by competition from the presidential debate and the Lions/Bears “Monday Night Football” game. Monday’s final rating peaked at 5.8 during the final half-hour before the debate, which attracted a whopping 59.2 million viewers across ten networks.
The “Monday Night Football” game, meanwhile, trounced Game 7 head-to-head. Lions/Bears topped Game 7 by 35% in ratings (6.6 to 4.9), 32% in viewership (10.7M to 8.1M), and an incredible 88% in the adults 18-49 demographic (4.5 to 2.4).
To reiterate, among adults under the age of fifty, a regular season NFL game on cable nearly doubled Game 7 of a League Championship Series between the last two World Series champions.
The previous two times Game 7 of a League Championship Series aired opposite regular season NFL coverage, baseball won the head-to-head battle easily. In 2008, Red Sox/Rays beat Seahawks/Buccaneers on “Sunday Night Football” by 25% in ratings (7.9 to 6.3) and 33% in viewership (13.4M to 10.0M). The previous year, Indians/Red Sox topped Steelers/Broncos on “SNF” by 41% in ratings (11.7 to 8.3) and 44% in viewership (19.2M to 13.3M).
Game 6 Viewership Down Slightly: On Sunday, the penultimate game of the Cardinals/Giants series attracted 7.6 million viewers — down 1% from Tigers/Rangers Game 6 on a Saturday night last year (7.702M), and down 35% from Giants/Phillies Game 6 on a Saturday night in 2010 (11.639M).
Not surprisingly, considering how poorly the NLCS performed overall, the game ranks as the least-viewed Game 6 of an LCS ever on broadcast television.
Ratings/Viewership For Game 7 of the MLB League Championship Series
Past decade
| Year | Date | Away | Home | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mon., 10/22/12 | Cardinals | Giants | FOX |
4.9
|
8.1M
|
| 2008 | Sun., 10/19/08 | Red Sox | Rays | TBS |
7.9
|
13.4M
|
| 2007 | Sun., 10/21/07 | Indians | Red Sox | FOX |
11.7
|
19.2M
|
| 2006 | Thu., 10/19/06 | Cardinals | Mets | FOX |
10.8
|
16.5M
|
| 2004 | Thu., 10/21/04 | Astros | Cardinals | FOX |
13.0
|
19.8M
|
| Wed., 10/20/04 | Red Sox | Yankees | FOX |
19.4
|
31.5M
|
|
| 2003 | Thu., 10/16/03 | Red Sox | Yankees | FOX |
17.1
|
27.5M
|
| Wed., 10/15/03 | Marlins | Cubs | FOX |
16.9
|
26.5M
|
(Monday’s numbers from Fox Sports press release [.pdf], with additional information from Entertainment Weekly, TV By the Numbers [1], [2])
