For the second time in the 2013 regular season, Major League Baseball on FOX cracked the 2.0 mark on FOX.
Regional Major League Baseball action featuring Rangers/Cardinals earned a 2.0 final rating and 3.1 million viewers on FOX Saturday night, down 23% in ratings from coverage featuring Yankees/Mets last year (2.6), but up 18% and 19%, respectively, from afternoon coverage featuring Yankees/Cubs in 2011 (1.7, 2.6M).
The 2.0 rating is the second-highest of the season for baseball on FOX, trailing only coverage featuring Red Sox/Yankees on June 1 (2.2). Saturday’s telecast was also the third-most viewed of the season, trailing coverage on June 1 and June 8.
Despite the solid performance, Saturday’s telecast again trailed competing coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on NBC. Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final had a 3.2 rating and 5.6 million viewers.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs on NBC and NBC Sports Network attracted more viewers than MLB on FOX for five consecutive Saturday nights. Only once in the five head-to-head match-ups did FOX earn a higher rating than NBC’s NHL coverage — June 1, when Red Sox/Yankees topped Bruins/Penguins Game 1 (2.2 to 2.0).
MLB on FOX vs. NHL on NBC
Past five weeks
(Sat. numbers from Sports Business Daily)
