College football may have provided the play of the day, but the Cubs and Mets scored the highest rating in the metered markets.
Game 1 of the Cubs/Mets National League Championship Series drew a 5.4 overnight rating on TBS Saturday night, up 35% from Royals/Orioles last year (4.0) and up 29% from Dodgers/Cardinals in 2013 (4.2), both of which aired on a Friday night. Compared to Game 1 of last year’s Giants/Cardinals NLCS on FOX, which aired on a Saturday, overnights increased 54% from a 3.5.
The Mets’ win ranks as the highest rated LCS opener in the metered markets, regardless of network, since Yankees/Rangers on TBS in 2010 (6.3). It also ranks as the top NLCS opener since Dodgers/Phillies on FOX in 2008 (6.0).
The telecast topped concurrent coverage of the Florida/LSU (4.0) and Penn State/Ohio State (3.5) college football games, which aired on ESPN and ABC, respectively. It was the top sporting event of the day, topping ESPN’s mid-afternoon Michigan State/Michigan game (5.1).
Game 1 drew a 20.6 rating in Chicago, down 47% from a 38.6 for Marlins/Cubs Game 1 in 2003 — the last time the Cubs made the NLCS. It had a 17.0 in New York, down just 2% from the Mets’ last NLCS opener against the Cardinals in 2006 (17.3). Both of those games aired midweek on the FOX broadcast network.
