Nine innings worth of baseball drew a solid 9.3 rating with 14.5 million viewers, usually a good thing — except this game lasted an additional six innings.
Through the first nine innings, the 2008 MLB All Star Game drew a 9.3 rating with 14.5 million viewers. FOX says the 2008 game was the most viewed in six years, though that is based on only the first nine innings. FOX also crows about the All Star Game tying the NBA Finals in ratings, though that is also based on just the first nine innings.
Somewhat ludicrously, FOX is allowed to “by Nielsen to take two ratings for the game” because it lasted 15 innings. The last six innings of the game drew a 7.5 rating, which FOX conveniently does not count.
One might wonder why FOX is using such a tactic for the All Star ratings. After all, there was no split in the Nielsen ratings for other extra inning classics aired on the network. Game 4 of the 2004 Yankees/Red Sox series aired until 1:15 in the morning, with only one rating (the game averaged an 11.3/19 overnight and a 9.5/17 final) Game 3 of the 2005 World Series lasted until 2:15 AM, and had one rating (the game drew a 13.1/23 overnight and an 11.0/21 final).
That being said, FOX has done this previously with the All Star Game. The 2002 edition, which ended in a tie in the 11th inning, was also issued two separate ratings. Perhaps FOX decides on this tactic because it knows viewers are not going to stay up late to watch extra innings in a contest that is still basically meaningless.
FOX is not alone. NBC is similarly misleading, though in a slightly different way and on a much smaller scale. During the football season, the network airs only local commercials during the 7-7:30 PM portion of Football Night in America, meaning Nielsen does not count the half-hour towards the national ratings. Because of this, NBC can omit the half-hour of its pregame show that goes head-to-head with the much higher rated FOX and CBS postgame shows.
Overall, splitting the ratings — even if allowed by Nielsen — is bush league and renders the numbers you will surely read about virtually meaningless. Like with many other things in baseball, you can stick a gigantic asterisk next to these ratings.
