The World Baseball Classic attracted the two largest non-playoff audiences ever on MLB Network over the weekend. Meanwhile, NBA TV earned its second-largest regular season audience for Sunday’s Pacers/Heat game, and Fox Soccer has attracted two of its five largest audiences within the past week.
WBC Sets Records For MLB Network
- The United States/Canada World Baseball Classic elimination game earned 760,000 viewers on MLB Network Sunday, the largest audience ever for a baseball game on the network outside of the MLB Postseason. The previous high set two nights earlier by the United States/Mexico game (673K), and the high before the WBC was 605,000 for Yankees/Red Sox last October. Overall, Sunday’s game ranks as the third-most viewed baseball game on MLB Network, trailing only a pair of MLB Division Series games last year. (MLB Network via Fang’s Bites)
Pacers/Heat Sets Near-Record For NBA TV
- Sunday’s Pacers/Heat NBA game earned 764,000 viewers on NBA TV, the network’s second-most watched regular season game on record (dates back to 2010). Only Lakers/Trail Blazers in October drew a larger audience (868K). Including the NBA Playoffs, Pacers/Heat ranks as the network’s fourth-most viewed game. (Turner Sports via The Futon Critic)
Fox Soccer Earns Best FA Cup Audience
- Rounding out Sunday’s record (or near-record) performances, Fox Soccer earned 460,000 viewers for the Manchester United/Chelsea FA Cup match — the most-viewed FA Cup telecast on the network, and the fifth-most viewed match overall. Including the March 5 Manchester United/Real Madrid UEFA Champions League match (520K), two of the top five audiences on Fox Soccer have taken place in the past week. (Fox Soccer via TV By the Numbers)
