The MLB season got off to a slightly better start on ESPN and the best one in years in New York City.
ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 1.28 million viewers for seven MLB Opening Day games Sunday and Monday, up 2% from last year (1.30M) but down 5% from a five-game slate 2015 (1.4M). Cubs-Cardinals led the way with a previously reported 2.1 rating and 3.6 million viewers Sunday night, the most-watched Opening Night game since 2008.
Outside of that game, Yankees-Rays was the top draw with a 0.8 and 1.3 million Sunday afternoon — down a third in ratings and 34% in viewership from Cardinals-Pirates last year (1.2, 2.0M), with the caveat that ESPN’s coverage was blacked out in New York City. Coverage on YES Network pulled a 4.5 local rating and 445,000 viewers, the network’s largest audience for a Yankees opener since 2002. The combined local and national audience of 1.7 million would still trail last year.
Giants-Diamondbacks had a 0.6 and 1.02 million on ESPN2 later in the day, flat and up 1% respectively from Blue Jays-Rays last year (0.6, 1.00M). It was blacked out in the Bay Area.
Shifting to Monday, Indians-Rangers scored 1.14 million on ESPN in primetime — up 26% from Dodgers-Padres last year (899K) and up 5% from Indians-Astros in 2015 (1.08M). Padres-Dodgers had 677,000 earlier in the day (-25%) and Angels-A’s had just 331,000 on ESPN2 afterward (-41%), with the former blacked out in Los Angeles.
Braves-Mets started the day off with 624,000, off 2% from Astros-Yankees last year, which was postponed a day due to rain (639K) and down 28% from Blue Jays-Yankees in ’15 (870K). It was blacked out in N.Y., where SNY scored a 4.4 local rating and 395,000 viewers — the network’s most-watched Mets opener since 2008.
(Numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 4.4a, 4.4b; YES Network and SNY)
