- To the surprise of few, the Boston Red Sox continue to lead the way in MLB television ratings. Through the first half of the season, Red Sox telecasts averaged a 9.5 rating in Boston, easily topping the second-place Cardinals, whose games averaged a 7.4 in St. Louis. Rounding out the top 5 are the Brewers (7.1), Twins (6.4), and the defending champion Phillies (6.2).
- Texas Rangers telecasts averaged a 2.7 rating in Dallas during the first half of the season, up 50% from last year, and the biggest increase in ratings of any MLB team. The Rangers are followed by the Giants (3.3 rating, up 27%), Royals (3.7 rating, up 23%), Mariners (5.7 rating, up 21%) and the Nationals — whose paltry 0.6 rating is up 20%.
- The WNBA got off to a good start on ESPN2. Two WNBA telecasts in June averaged 269,000 viewers on ESPN2, up 12% from 240,000 viewers for the comparable games in ’08. The two games averaged a 0.2 cable rating, even with last year.
Ted Turner, whose cable business transformed TV sports, dies
Ted Turner, the media mogul and team owner whose TBS "SuperStation" helped pave the way the era of cable...
