Turner Sports’ best Division Series since acquiring rights ended with another strong audience.
Game 5 of the Mets/Dodgers National League Division Series drew a 4.5 rating and 7.4 million viewers on TBS Thursday night, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — up 29% in ratings and 36% in viewership from Athletics/Tigers on the comparable night in 2013 (3.5, 5.4M). There was no comparable game last year. Ratings and viewership peaked at a 5.7 and 9.7 million from 11:15-11:30 PM ET.
The Mets’ win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched Division Series game since Cardinals/Phillies Game 5 in 2011 (5.1, 8.4M). This year’s postseason accounts for the top three LDS audiences over that span, with Tuesday’s Dodgers/Mets (4.0, 6.3M) and Cardinals/Cubs (4.0, 6.2M) games taking the next two spots. Overall, Thursday’s game ranks third among all baseball telecasts on cable since 2011 — trailing only this year’s Astros/Yankees (4.9, 7.6M) and Cubs/Pirates (5.0, 8.3M) Wild Card games.
Five games this postseason have topped six million viewers, tying 2007 as the most in any postseason prior to the League Championship Series since 2006 — the last time Division Series games aired on broadcast television. That number rises to six if one includes the combined audience for Astros/Royals Game 5 on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes (6.1M).
TBS has averaged a 3.5 rating and 5.7 million viewers for coverage of the MLB Postseason entering the NLCS, up 46% in ratings and 47% in viewership from last year, when it covered the A.L. playoffs. This postseason is tied with 2007 as the most-watched ever on TBS through the Division Series. The N.L. postseason on TBS has more-than-doubled the A.L. postseason on Fox Sports 1 (2.8M), though there are numerous caveats — FS1 did not air the Wild Card game, has largely been confined to afternoon timeslots, and has been hampered by the presence of a Canadian team (which does not count toward U.S. TV ratings).
(Thu. numbers from Turner Sports)
