A Lot of Bad, But Some Good, in MLB All-Star Game Numbers

Compared to its past stature, to America’s Got Talent, and — in younger demos — to the NBA, NFL and even the Home Run Derby, the MLB All-Star Game is not what it used to be.

The MLB All-Star Game scored a 5.5 final rating and 9.3 million viewers on FOX Tuesday night, up a tick in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year’s all-time record lows (5.4, 8.7M) but down 17% and 15% respectively from 2015 (6.6, 10.9M).

The American League’s extra-inning win, which peaked at a 5.9 and 10.0 million from 10-10:15 PM ET, exceeds only last year as the lowest rated and least-watched MLB All-Star Game ever. As recently as 2010, the event had a 7.5 and 12.1 million — and that was considered a surprisingly poor result at the time.

Including the Spanish-language audience on Fox Deportes (114K, +18%) and the streaming audience on Fox Sports GO (49K, +97%), the game delivered 9.4 million viewers — still the second-smallest audience ever.

The All-Star Game scored a 2.3 rating in adults 18-49, up a tick from last year, but down 26% from 2015 (3.1) and the game’s second-lowest rating ever in the demo. Ratings were flat in adults 18-34, holding steady at 1.8. In both demos, the All-Star Game posted a lower rating than the previous night’s Home Run Derby — which had a 2.6 in the former and a 2.2 in the latter.

For the night, it trailed NBC’s America’s Got Talent by 36% in viewership (12.6M) and 8% in adults 18-49 (2.5). The NBC reality show also outdrew the All-Star Game last year. MLB did come out ahead in adults 18-34, topping AGT by 13% (1.6).

Though historically low for the “Midsummer Classic,” Tuesday’s results were easily the best for any pro sports all-star game this year. The NBA All-Star Game had a 4.2 rating and 7.8 million viewers across TNT and TBS, and the NFL Pro Bowl had a 4.2 and 7.4 million on on ESPN. The NHL All-Star Game was a comparable blip with its 1.3 and 2.3 million on NBC.

Younger demos tell a different story. MLB’s 2.3 in adults 18-49 trails the Pro Bowl (2.6) and the NBA All-Star Game (3.1), and its 1.8 in adults 18-34 ranks behind the NFL’s 2.2 and the NBA’s 3.2.