Yankees’ win scores 15.6 overnight

With a strong lead-in from the NFL, Yankees/Phillies Game 4 drew the highest overnight for a World Series game in 5 years.

The Yankees’ Game 4 win over the Phillies drew a 15.6 overnight rating on FOX Sunday night, up 46% from a 10.7/17 for Rays/Phillies Game 4 last year, up 9% from a 14.3/23 for Red Sox/Rockies Game 4 in ’07, and the highest overnight for any World Series game since 2004 (Red Sox/Cardinals, 19.7/29).

The 15.6 overnight for Game 4 is the fourth-highest overnight for any sporting event since the Super Bowl in February — and that includes regular season NFL games.

Excluding the NFL, Sunday’s Game 4 drew the second-highest overnight for any sporting event in 2009 — behind only the BCS National Championship Game in January (17.0/27).

Yankees/Phillies had the benefit of a strong lead-in from a Vikings/Packers game on FOX, which drew an 18.3 overnight. Overall, FOX had its highest-rated day ever (excluding Super Bowl Sundays), thanks to an NFL doubleheader and Game 4 of the World Series.

Despite the immense rating, the 15.6 for Yankees/Phillies Game 4 is the second-lowest overnight for a World Series Game 4 involving the Yankees since at least ’96 — trailing Yankees/Marlins Game 4 in ’03 (15.9/25), Diamondbacks/Yankees Game 4 in ’01 (17.6/28), Braves/Yankees Game 4 in ’99 (19.1/29), Yankees/Padres Game 4 in ’98 (17.2/27) and Yankees/Braves Game 4 in ’96 (19.0/31).

The game did draw a higher overnight than Yankees/Mets Game 4 in ’00 (15.4/24).

Highest overnight ratings for sporting events since Super Bowl

Source: Sports Business Daily