An extra nine innings of baseball boosted Fox Sports 1 on Saturday.
Game 2 of the Giants/Nationals National League Division Series drew 3.2 million viewers on FS1, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — up 5% from Rays/Red Sox Game 2 on TBS last year (3.0M) and up 18% from Nationals/Cardinals Game 2 on a Monday in 2012 (2.7M).
The Giants’ 18-inning victory ranks as the fifth-most watched program on FS1 since the network rebranded from Speed Channel last year, trailing three NASCAR telecasts and Friday’s Cardinals/Dodgers Game 1 (3.6M). The extra innings were the driving force behind the numbers, averaging 3.9 million viewers compared to 2.5 million for regulation.
Keep in mind most of the extra inning period overlapped with Game 2 of Cardinals/Dodgers on MLB Network.
Speaking of, the Dodgers’ Game 2 win over the Cardinals drew 1.8 million viewers on MLB Network Saturday night — down 46% from Tigers/Athletics Game 2 on TBS last year (3.3M) and down 57% from Yankees/Orioles Game 2 on a Monday in 2012 (4.2M). Keep in mind MLB Network is in nearly 30 million fewer homes than TBS.
Despite the decline, Saturday’s game ranks as the most-watched program in MLB Network history. The previous mark was 1.3 million for Game 2 of the 2012 Tigers/Athletics ALDS, which aired on a Sunday afternoon.
While a record audience could have been expected — Saturday’s game was the first primetime playoff telecast ever on MLB Network — the numbers are quite impressive considering the Giants/Nationals competition. Cardinals/Dodgers aired unopposed for only one hour Saturday night, the less-than-ideal timeslot of 12-1 AM ET.
(Sat. numbers from Fox Sports, MLB.com)
