For the ninth time in ten tries, FOX failed to hit a 2.0 rating for Major League Baseball coverage last week.
Regional Major League Baseball coverage featuring Yankees/Angels drew a 1.6 final rating and 2.4 million viewers on FOX last Saturday, down 11% in ratings from coverage featuring Red Sox/Cubs last year (1.8), but up 14% and 11%, respectively, from afternoon coverage featuring Red Sox/Phillies in 2011 (1.4, 2.2M).
The 1.6 rating is the second-lowest ever for Major League Baseball in primetime on broadcast TV, ahead of only coverage on May 25 (1.5).
Saturday’s telecast was outdrawn head-to-head by Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on NBC Sports Network (2.0, 4.0M). The Stanley Cup Playoffs has outdrawn MLB on FOX head-to-head for four Saturdays in a row.
According to Sports Business Daily, FOX averaged a 1.6 rating and 2.4 million viewers for Major League Baseball coverage through last week — down 11% in ratings and viewership from last year. Nine of the network’s ten telecasts have failed to draw at least a 2.0 rating.
The network’s four primetime telecasts have averaged a 1.8 and 2.8 million, down 5% in ratings and 3% in viewership from the first four primetime windows last year (1.9, 2.9M).
(Last week’s numbers from Nielsen, season averages from Sports Business Daily)
