After a solid start on the FOX broadcast network, the American League Championship Series has sunk on Fox Sports 1.
Game 2 of the Blue Jays/Royals ALCS earned 2.7 million viewers on FS1 Saturday afternoon, down 39% from Giants/Cardinals last year (4.4M) and down 68% from Tigers/Red Sox on FOX in 2013 (8.3M), both of which aired on Sunday nights. The rating was not immediately available.
Compared to Game 2 of last year’s Royals/Orioles ALCS on TBS, which had the same Saturday afternoon timeslot, viewership declined 38% from 4.3 million.
The Royals’ comeback win had the smallest audience ever for an LCS game, falling below the previous mark of 2.8 million for last year’s Cardinals/Giants Game 3 on FS1. That game took place on a weekday afternoon. Those two games are the only LCS telecasts to have fallen below 3.0 million viewers.
Keep in mind Saturday’s game faced hefty college football competition, airing directly opposite the Michigan State/Michigan game on ESPN (7.4M). It also aired opposite Alabama/Texas A&M on CBS, for which final numbers were not immediately available.
Game 3 of the series on Monday night had a 2.1 overnight rating, even with last year’s previously mentioned Cardinals/Giants game and down 49% from Red Sox/Tigers on FOX in 2013 (4.1), both of which aired on a Tuesday afternoon. Compared to Game 3 of Orioles/Royals on TBS last year, which aired in the same Monday night slot, the overnight declined 48% from a 4.0.
The Blue Jays’ rout faced competition from ESPN’s Monday Night Football (9.6).
(Sat. numbers from ShowBuzz Daily; Mon. numbers from Sports Business Daily)
