The MLB League Championship Series has attracted mixed numbers compared to last year.
Through three games, the Red Sox/Tigers American League Championship Series has averaged 4.4 final rating and 6.9 million viewers on FOX — up 26% in ratings and 28% in viewership from Cardinals/Giants last year (3.5, 5.4M), but up only a tick in ratings from Rangers/Tigers in 2011 (4.3).
The 4.4 rating is the highest for any LCS through three games since Rangers/Yankees on TBS in 2010 (4.5), edging both Rangers/Tigers in ’11 and Giants/Phillies in 2010 (4.3).
Game 3 of the series on Tuesday afternoon drew a 3.7 final rating and 5.6 million viewers, up 37% in ratings and 44% in viewership from last year’s rain-plagued Giants/Cardinals Game 3 (2.7, 3.9M), but down 30% and 33%, respectively, from a primetime Rangers/Tigers Game 3 in 2011 (5.3, 8.4M).
Over on TBS, the Cardinals/Dodgers National League Championship Series averaged a 3.2 U.S. rating and 5.0 million viewers through four games — down 16% in ratings and viewership from Tigers/Yankees last year (3.8, 5.9M), but up 23% and 22%, respectively, from Cardinals/Brewers in 2011 (2.6, 4.1M).
The series ranks as the third-lowest rated LCS of all-time through four games, ahead of only the 2007 Rockies/Diamondbacks NLCS on TBS (2.8, 4.3M) and the aforementioned 2011 Brewers/Cardinals series on TBS. With that said, the series also ranks as the second-best NLCS ever on TBS, trailing only Phillies/Dodgers in 2009 (3.5, 5.6M).
Tuesday’s Game 4 earned 5.8 million viewers, actually up 10% from Yankees/Tigers Game 4 in the afternoon last year (5.3M), and up 3% from Brewers/Cardinals Game in 2011 (5.7M). Game 3 on Monday had 4.8 million, down 22% from Yankees/Tigers last year (6.2M), but up 12% from Brewers/Cardinals in ’11 (4.3M).
(This year’s numbers from Fox Sports, Turner Sports)
