The action is picking up on the field, but viewers have not yet caught on to this year’s League Championship Series.
The Major League Baseball League Championship Series has averaged 4.66 million viewers across FOX, FS1, TBS and truTV through Thursday (seven games), down 9% from the same point of last year’s LCS (5.11M). In particular, the first four games of the ALCS (Astros-Rangers) averaged 4.87 million on FOX and FS1 and the first three of the NLCS (Phillies-Diamondbacks) averaged 4.38 million on TBS and truTV.
Last Sunday’s Rangers-Astros Game 1 remains the most-watched of the LCS thus far, averaging 7.02 million viewers in a post-NFL timeslot (as previously noted). Ranking a distant second, the Phillies’ 10-0 Game 2 rout of the Diamondbacks Tuesday night averaged 5.20 million across TBS and truTV (5.26M including a Spanish-language simulcast on MLB Network) — up 8% from last year’s Wednesday afternoon Phillies-Padres Game 2 on FOX and FS1 (4.84M).
On Wednesday, Astros-Rangers Game 3 averaged a 2.5 rating and 4.64 million on FS1 (4.93M across all Fox platforms) — on par with Astros-Yankees on TBS in a Saturday afternoon window last year (2.3, 4.66M).
Rounding out the midweek slate, Phillies-Diamondbacks Game 3 drew 4.07 million on TBS and truTV Thursday afternoon (4.14 million including MLB Network) — down from last year’s Friday night Padres-Phillies Game 3 on FS1 (4.88M). Astros-Rangers Game 4 followed with a 1.9 and 3.66 million on FS1 opposite Thursday Night Football, down 26% and 22% respectively from last year’s Sunday night Astros-Yankees clincher (2.6, 4.67M).
The full MLB Postseason is averaging 3.27 million viewers, with viewership down for each round thus far. The Wild Card round declined around 20% and the Division Series eight percent. The LCS decline figures to narrow as both series are guaranteed to go at least six games; neither of last year’s series went six.
(Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 10.19, Sports TV Ratings 10.18, 10.20)
