An NFL lead-in helped Game 1 of the ALCS to a Texas-sized audience on FOX, while the NLCS opened near a multi-year low on TBS.
Airing after the most-watched NFL window of the season, Sunday’s Rangers-Astros American League Championship Series Game 1 averaged a 3.7 rating and 7.02 million viewers on FOX — the largest Game 1 audience in the LCS since Dodgers-Cubs on FS1 in 2016 (7.31M) and the largest in the ALCS since Yankees-Rangers on TBS in 2010 (8.11M). Across all Fox platforms, the audience of 7.27 million was the highest for an LCS opener since Cubs-Mets on TBS in ’15 (7.89M).
Keep in mind it was the first LCS Game 1 to benefit from an NFL lead-in since 2012, when Cardinals-Giants opened with a 4.1 and 6.80 million on FOX. (Out-of-home viewing was not included in Nielsen’s final nationals prior to 2020).
Overall, the Rangers’ win was the most-watched postseason game of any kind — excluding the World Series — since the single-elimination Yankees-Red Sox AL Wild Card on ESPN and ESPN2 two years ago.
Ratings increased 19% and viewership 28% from last year’s Yankees-Astros ALCS opener, a Wednesday night game on TBS (3.1, 5.49M).
The strong start did not extend into Game 2 Monday afternoon, which averaged 4.37 million across FOX and FS1 — down 26% from last year’s Yankees-Astros in primetime a year ago (5.89M). The game averaged 4.46 million across all Fox platforms.
Shifting to the NLCS, Diamondbacks-Phillies Game 1 averaged a combined 3.83 million viewers across TBS (3.73M), truTV (52K) and MLB Network (57K) — down 7% from Phillies-Padres on FS1 last year (4.10M). The Phillies’ win aired opposite Monday Night Football; last year’s game did not face NFL competition.
Viewership topped only Game 1 of Astros-Rays in 2020 — which aired opposite both Sunday Night Football and the NBA Finals — as the least-watched LCS opener since Cardinals-Brewers in 2011 (3.35M).
Notably, truTV fared far worse with its “Peloteros” alternate presentation — featuring Pedro Martinez, Albert Pujols, Yonder Alonso, Néstor Cortés and more — than with the simulcast coverage it aired during the Division Series. Those simulcasts averaged 507,000 viewers, topping out at 722,000 for Phillies-Braves Game 2.
For more sports ratings, see the latest weekly chart. Additional information from Fox Sports PR and Sports TV Ratings 10.17)
