The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry boosted ESPN to season-highs in ratings and viewership, topping the previous marks set by Yankees-Red Sox.
Yankees-Red Sox averaged a 1.5 rating and 2.40 million viewers on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball over the weekend, up 50% in ratings and 59% in viewership from Cubs-Cardinals last year (1.0, 1.52M), and up 36% and 43% respectively from Giants-Dodgers in 2017 (1.1, 1.68M).
The Yankees’ win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched baseball game on cable this season, topping the previous highs of 1.4 and 2.06 million for a 10 AM ET Yankees-Red Sox game from London last month.
Yankees-Red Sox games have generated three of the four largest cable audiences thus far, with Dodgers-Red Sox two weeks ago the lone exception.
Even with the season-high, viewership trailed the rivals’ two Sunday night appearances last season.
Locally, the game had a 9.4 rating in Boston and a 4.8 in New York City.
Saturday’s meeting between the teams averaged a 0.41 and 643,000 on FS1 — up 37% in ratings and 39% in viewership from Cubs-Cardinals last year (0.30, 463K) and 52% and 53% respectively from Giants-Dodgers in ’17 (0.27, 421K). It ranks second among FS1 games this season, trailing only Yankees-Indians last month (0.46, 703K).
In other action, FS1 scored a 0.27 and 442,000 (+60%)* for Saturday’s Astros-Cardinals nightcap. TBS drew a 0.27 (-7%) and 400,000 (-8%) for Dodgers-Nationals on Sunday afternoon. ESPN drew a 0.44 (-14%)* and 661,000 (-10%)* for Yankees-Twins last Wednesday.
* Comparisons are to 2017, as there was no comparable window last year.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 7.30; ESPN PR 7.29]
