The Yankees and Red Sox gave FOX its top Major League Baseball audience in nearly two years.
Regional Major League Baseball action on FOX drew a 1.9 final rating and 2.9 million viewers Saturday night, up 36% in ratings and 35% in viewership from the network’s seventh primetime window last year (1.4, 2.2M), and flat and up 2%, respectively, from the seventh such telecast in 2013 (2.93M to 2.89M).
The telecast ranks as the most-watched regular season window on FOX since July 2013, and is tied as the highest rated over that span. Overall, it ranks as the second-largest baseball audience this season — behind only Cardinals/Cubs on ESPN2 opening night (3.4M).
The telecast marked the first time this season that the Yankees and Red Sox have played each other on FOX. The rivals met twice on the network last year — a primetime meeting that drew a season-high 1.9 and 2.8 million, and a matinee on the final weekend of the season that had a mere 0.8 and 1.1 million.
Despite the season-high performance, MLB on FOX is still mired in a ratings slump. Saturday marked the 28th straight regular season telecast on the network with less than a 2.0 rating.
(Sat. numbers via TV Media Insights)
