With the Yankees’ drawing power more than making up for the Orioles’ presence, Sunday Night Baseball ratings surged over the weekend.
Yankees-Orioles delivered a 0.9 rating and 1.42 million viewers on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball over the weekend, up 50% in ratings and 55% in viewership from last year (Mets-Nationals: 0.6, 914K) but down 10% and 3% respectively from 2016 (Royals-Red Sox: 1.0, 1.46M).
The Yankees’ win, which dropped Baltimore to a subterranean 37-94 record, was just the fifth Sunday night game this season to increase.
Despite the increase, Sunday’s game marked New York’s least-watched Sunday Night Baseball appearance in three years (2015 Rangers-Yankees: 1.37M). That is no real surprise given Baltimore’s record and direct competition from the NFL preseason.
ESPN also had the Yankees Monday night, with New York’s loss to the White Sox earning a 0.5 and 767,000 — flat in ratings and up 2% in viewership from last year (Indians-Yankees: 0.5, 750K). The Rockies-Angels nightcap had a 0.31 and 436,000; there was no comparable window last year.
In other action, FS1 drew a 0.27 and 425,000 (-18%) for Braves-Marlins Saturday night and TBS a 0.27 and 398,000 (+23%) for Red Sox-Rays Sunday afternoon. Figures for Saturday’s Nationals-Mets game on FS1 were not immediately available.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 8.28, Programming Insider 8.28]
