The Mets are putting the NLCS out of reach just as it began to reach its ratings potential.
Game 3 of the Mets/Cubs National League Championship Series drew a 7.0 overnight rating on TBS Tuesday night, up 75% from Royals/Orioles last year (4.0) and up 89% from Cardinals/Dodgers in 2013 (3.7), both of which aired on Monday nights. Compared to Game 3 of last year’s Cardinals/Giants NLCS on Fox Sports 1, which aired on a Tuesday afternoon, overnights increased 233% from a 2.1.
The 7.0 overnight is the highest for any MLB Postseason game prior to the World Series since Game 5 of the 2011 Tigers/Yankees ALDS (7.3), the highest for a League Championship Series game since 2010, and the highest for an LCS Game 3 since Red Sox/Indians on FOX in 2007 (7.5).
Games 1 and 2 of the series had comparably softer overnights of 5.4 and 4.8, respectively, though those games aired opposite college and pro football.
The Cubs’ loss, which put the team in an 0-3 hole, had a 25.1 rating in Chicago — the market’s highest MLB rating since the White Sox clinched the 2005 World Series. The game had a 19.0 in New York, the highest ever for MLB on TBS in the market. Keep in mind TBS has aired two ALCS involving the Yankees. Local ratings were not available for Cubs/Marlins Game 3 in 2003 or Mets/Cardinals Game 3 in 2006.
Game 4 of the Royals/Blue Jays ALCS had a 2.0 overnight on FS1 earlier in the day, down 43% from Giants/Cardinals last year (3.5) and down 65% from Red Sox/Tigers on FOX in 2013 (5.7), both of which aired on a Wednesday night. After Game 1 of the series had a 4.3 overnight on the FOX broadcast network, the three on FS1 have ranged from a 1.9 to a 2.1.
(Tue. numbers from twitter.com/turnersportspr [1], [2], [3]; additional info from Sports Business Daily)
