After a record start to the season on Thursday, Major League Baseball ratings fell back to earth over the weekend.
FOX averaged a 1.6 rating and 2.79 million viewers for Saturday’s Yankees-Nationals Major League Baseball game, up a tick in ratings and 18% in viewership from the network’s first primetime window last season, which aired in May (ft. Cubs-Nationals: 1.5, 2.36M).
The telecast would have ranked third out of last year’s 12 FOX windows, behind a Yankees-Red Sox game from London (1.9, 2.86M) and a regional window featuring Astros-Yankees (1.8, 2.91M).
Earlier in the day, FOX averaged a 1.3 and 1.97 million for Giants-Dodgers and a 1.3 and 1.91 million for Brewers-Cubs. Only two FOX windows last season averaged less than a 1.4 or 2.0 million. Keep in mind the network aired only one day game last year, the aforementioned Yankees-Red Sox game from London.
In other action, ESPN averaged a 0.9 and 1.39 million for Braves-Mets on Sunday Night Baseball — down 18% in ratings and 25% in viewership from last year’s first Sunday night window, Braves-Phillies (1.1, 1.87M). The Giants-Dodgers nightcap averaged a 0.8 and 1.33 million.
Viewership was below average for Sunday Night Baseball, which averaged 1.60 million viewers last year, 1.57 million in 2018 and 1.76 million in 2017. On the same July weekend last year, a Yankees-Red Sox Sunday night game averaged 2.40 million.
ESPN also averaged a 0.6 and 1.04 million for Brewers-Cubs, a 0.6 and 922,000 for Braves-Mets and a 0.5 and 797,000 for Angels-A’s on Friday. The network did not carry any games on the opening Friday of last season.
Rounding out the opening week slate, TBS averaged a 0.39 and 653,000 for Yankees-Nationals on Sunday — up 56% in ratings and 65% in viewership from its first telecast of last season, Yankees-Rays in early July (0.25, 395K). Versus the same weekend last year, ratings jumped 44% and viewership 63% from Dodgers-Nationals (0.27, 400K).
FS1 brought up the rear with a mere 0.17 and 279,000 for its Diamondbacks-Padres game — up 13% in viewership from the comparable opening weekend window last year (Giants-Padres: 248K).
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 7.28]
