Fox Sports 1 set a new viewership record for the MLB playoffs on Tuesday, but the numbers again trailed last year on TBS.
Game 4 of the Nationals/Giants National League Division Series drew 3.9 million viewers on FS1 Tuesday night, the network’s largest audience since rebranding from Speed Channel last year. The previous high was 3.6 million for Cardinals/Dodgers Game 2 on Saturday night.
Despite the record audience, the Giants’ series-clinching win declined 24% from the comparable windows last year (Red Sox/Rays) and 2012 (Orioles/Yankees). Those games each drew 5.2 million viewers on TBS, no doubt fueled by the drawing power of the Red Sox and Yankees.
Earlier Tuesday, Game 4 of the Dodgers/Cardinals series drew 3.3 million viewers — down 14% from Athletics/Tigers Game 4 last year (3.8M) and down 4% from Cardinals/Nationals Game 4 in 2012 (3.4M). Despite the decline, the Cardinals’ win earned the fifth-largest audience on FS1 since last year’s rebrand.
Overall, five of the six Division Series games on FS1 rank among the network’s most viewed programs — but the same number have declined by double-digits from last year’s comparable games on TBS. MLB Network’s two windows also declined double-digits from last year on TBS. TBS, meanwhile, had double-digit increases for six of its seven telecasts.
Of note, the top game of the postseason entering the League Championship Series did not air on FS1, MLB Network or TBS, but on ESPN — the Pirates/Giants Wild Card Game (3.6, 5.6M).
MLB Postseason Viewership Through Division Series
| Date | Time | Game | # | Net | Vwrs. | vs. ’13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., 9/30/14 | 8:00 PM | Athletics/Royals | WC | TBS | 5.21M | +13% |
| Wed., 10/1/14 | 8:00 PM | Giants/Pirates | WC | ESPN | 5.59M | +18% |
| Thu., 10/2/14 | 5:30 PM | Tigers/Orioles | 1 | TBS | 3.96M | +53% |
| 9:00 PM | Royals/Angels | 1 | TBS | 4.15M | +18% | |
| Fri., 10/3/14 | 12:00 PM | Tigers/Orioles | 2 | TBS | 2.26M | +172% |
| 3:00 PM | Giants/Nationals | 1 | FS1 | 2.04M | -15% | |
| 6:30 PM | Cardinals/Dodgers | 1 | FS1 | 3.60M | -13% | |
| 9:30 PM | Royals/Angels | 2 | TBS | 3.41M | -4% | |
| Sat., 10/4/14 | 5:30 PM | Giants/Nationals | 2 | FS1 | 3.16M | +5% |
| 9:30 PM | Cardinals/Dodgers | 2 | MLBN | 1.77M | -47% | |
| Sun., 10/5/14 | 3:30 PM | Orioles/Tigers | 3 | TBS | 3.30M | +12% |
| 7:30 PM | Angels/Royals | 3 | TBS | 4.35M | +29% | |
| Mon., 10/6/14 | 5:00 PM | Giants/Nationals | 3 | MLBN | 1.84M | -59% |
| 9:00 PM | Dodgers/Cardinals | 3 | FS1 | 2.89M | -26% | |
| Tue., 10/7/14 | 5:00 PM | Dodgers/Cardinals | 4 | FS1 | 3.27M | -14% |
| 9:00 PM | Giants/Nationals | 4 | FS1 | 3.92M | -24% |
(Tue. numbers from Fox Sports)
