The Pittsburgh Pirates are beginning to enter Penguins territory on Root Sports. In other news, the Dodgers hit a 14-year high in local television ratings, and NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 was a bigger draw in Indianapolis than the Indy 500.
Pirates Set Record on Root Sports
- The second game of Tuesday’s Cardinals/Pirates Major League Baseball doubleheader earned a 16.37 rating on Root Sports Pittsburgh — the highest rating ever for a Pirates game on the network, and the highest rating for any MLB franchise on a regional sports network in two years. The previous record was set a day earlier. To put the numbers in perspective, the Penguins’ highest-ever regular season rating on Root Sports was a 16.6, set by a Penguins/Islanders game in March. (Nielsen)
Dodgers Hit 14-Year High on KCAL
- Also Tuesday night, the Yankees/Dodgers game earned a 7.0 rating on Los Angeles CBS affiliate KCAL — the highest rating for a regular season Dodgers game on any local network since Dodgers/Angels in 1998 (7.4). The game also attracted 603,000 viewers. (KCAL)
Brickyard 400 Beats Indy 500 in Indianapolis
- Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Brickyard 400 from Indianapolis earned a 13.7 rating in the Indianapolis TV market — up 26% from last year (10.9), and the top local rating for the race. By comparison, tape-delayed coverage of the Indianapolis 500 in May earned a 9.3 rating on ABC affiliate WRTV. Nationally, the Indy 500 edged the Brickyard 400 in ratings (3.7 to 3.6) and viewership (5.7M to 5.5M). (ESPN)
