Viewership for the Little League World Series hit a high point Wednesday, though still far short of last year. In other news, Little League boosted ESPN to its top Wednesday MLB audience of the season, and NBCSN scored double-digit gains for Formula 1 coverage.
Despite Big Drop, LLWS Scores Strong Audience Wednesday
- Wednesday’s Pearland (TX)/Lewisberry (PA) Little League World Series game drew 2.3 million viewers on ESPN, down 54% from Las Vegas/Philadelphia last year (5.0M), but up 18% from Chula Vista (CA)/Westport (CT) in 2013 (2.0M). Last year’s numbers were inflated due to unusual media attention. Even with the decline, Wednesday’s game ranks as the most-watched weeknight baseball or softball telecast on any network this season — MLB All-Star Game excluded.
LLWS Boosts ESPN to Top Wednesday MLB High
- Boosted by the Little League lead-in, the Cubs/Giants Wednesday Night Baseball game scored 914,000 viewers on ESPN — the largest Wednesday night audience of the season. The previous high was 860,000 for Red Sox/Yankees three weeks earlier. Regardless of day, it was the season’s most-watched late night MLB telecast (eight telecasts). Compared to previous years, viewership increased 10% over Padres/Dodgers last year (830K) and 206% over Rays/Orioles on ESPN2 in 2013 (299K).
Double-Digit Rise For F1 From Belgium
- Formula 1 racing from Belgium earned 524,000 viewers on NBCSN Sunday morning, up 21% from last year (435K) and up 105% from 2013 (256K). The race ranks sixth out of the eleven Formula 1 telecasts this year, and fourth out of the seven on NBCSN.
