Despite a solid finish, NLCS viewership hit a new low.
Tuesday’s Nationals-Cardinals NLCS Game 4 averaged a 2.8 rating and 4.64 million viewers on TBS, up 12% in ratings and 14% in viewership from last year on FS1 (Brewers-Dodgers: 2.5, 4.09M), but down 30% and 32% respectively from 2017 on TBS (Dodgers-Cubs: 4.0, 6.79M).
Versus last year’s ALCS Game 4 on TBS (Red Sox-Astros), ratings fell 26% (from 3.8) and viewership 25% (from 6.18M).
Washington’s pennant-clinching win posted the biggest jump of any LCS game thus far (seven total). Locally, it averaged a 14.8 rating in Washington D.C., the market’s highest for a Nationals game since Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS (16.7).
The series still ended up as the least-watched NLCS on record, averaging a 2.4 rating and 4.01 million viewers. The previous low was 4.29 million for Rockies-Diamondbacks on TBS in 2007, also a sweep (4.29M).
Regardless of league, it averaged the third-smallest LCS audience on record, ahead of Indians-Blue Jays in 2016 (3.35M) and Royals-Blue Jays in 2015 (3.85M).
Ratings and viewership fell 17% from last year’s seven-game NLCS on Fox Sports (2.9, 4.85M). Compared to last year’s five-game ALCS on TBS, the series declined 31% from a 3.5 and 5.82 million.
Earlier Tuesday, Game 3 of the Astros-Yankees ALCS averaged a 2.5 and 3.84 million on FS1 — marking the lowest rated and least-watched ALCS Game 3 since 2015 (Royals-Blue Jays: 1.9, 3.09M), and the lowest rated and least-watched LCS game to involve the Yankees.
Houston’s win declined 17% in ratings and 21% in viewership from last year on TBS (Red Sox-Astros: 3.0, 4.87M) and 19% and 25% respectively from Astros-Yankees on FS1 in 2017 (3.1, 5.11M). The 2017 game aired in primetime.
Versus last year’s NLCS Game 3 on FS1 (Dodgers-Brewers), ratings were flat and viewership fell 9% (from 4.21M). That game also aired in primetime.
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[Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 10.17, Fox Sports; local numbers from Washington Post 10.16]
