A surprising American League Championship Series got off to a slightly slower start in the overnights.
Game 1 of the Royals/Orioles ALCS drew a 4.0 overnight rating on TBS Friday night, down 5% from Dodgers/Cardinals Game 1 last year (4.2) and down 20% from Tigers/Yankees Game 1 in 2012 (5.0). Game 1 of last year’s Tigers/Red Sox ALCS drew a 5.0 overnight on FOX.
The 4.0 overnight is the second-highest of the playoffs on any network, trailing only the Giants/Pirates N.L. Wild Card Game on ESPN (4.1). Three of the top four — and four of the top six — MLB playoff games this year have involved the Royals.
Though down only slightly from last year, the Royals’ extra-inning win ranks as the lowest rated LCS opener in the metered markets since 2011. That year, Cardinals/Brewers drew a 2.4 on TBS and Rangers/Tigers drew a 3.9 on FOX. Keep in mind Kansas City (#31) and Baltimore (#26) are two of baseball’s smallest television markets.
Game 1 drew a 31.7 rating in Kansas City, the market’s second-best on record for an MLB game — trailing only the Royals’ series-clinching win over the Angels on Sunday (33.9). In Baltimore, the game had a 22.9 rating.
