The Cubs helped FOX to the second-largest MLB audience of the season last weekend. In other news, Sunday Night Baseball benefited from an early end to the NBA Finals, and College World Series viewership is at the highest level in six years.
FOX Scores MLB’s Second-Largest Audience of Season
- Regional MLB action featuring Cubs-Pirates delivered a 1.6 final rating and 2.5 million viewers on FOX last Saturday night, down 16% in ratings and 14% in viewership from last year (1.9, 2.9M) but the second-largest MLB audience on any network this season. Only Cubs-Cardinals on ESPN Opening Night earned a larger audience (3.6M). The season’s four most-watched windows have featured the Cubs. Earlier in the day, Rays-Tigers had a 0.34 (-15%) and 519,000 (-17%) on Fox Sports 1. [via ShowBuzz Daily 6.20]
No NBA Means Big Jump For SNB
- Red Sox-Astros earned a 1.1 final rating and 1.7 million viewers on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball last weekend, up 38% in ratings and 39% in viewership from Pirates-Cubs last year, which aired opposite Game 7 of the NBA Finals (0.8, 1.2M) and up 22% and 24% respectively from Giants-Dodgers in 2015 (0.9, 1.4M). Of the 11 SNB windows that can be compared to last year, seven have increased. In other action, Mets-Dodgers had 513,000 Tuesday night, Tigers-Mariners 418,000 on Monday (-46%), Nationals-Mets 358,000 last Friday, and Yankees-Angels 567,000 last Wednesday (+36%). [via ShowBuzz]
CWS Viewership at Six-Year High
- Coverage of the College World Series averaged 923,000 viewers across ESPN’s TV and digital platforms through Monday, up 95% from last year and the highest average at this point of the tournament since 2011. Keep in mind five of the first six games aired on the flagship ESPN network, compared to just one of the first six last year. [ESPN PR 6.21]
