Ratings held steady for nationally televised Major League Baseball games on every network but ESPN.
FOX averaged a 1.9 rating for MLB coverage during the first half of the season, according to Sports Business Journal, even with last year. Keep in mind that FOX finished last season with a record low 1.8 average. The network’s top telecast during the first half was primetime regional coverage featuring Yankees/Mets on May 22 (2.7, 4.309 mil).
Meanwhile, ESPN averaged a 1.0 U.S. rating for its games during the first half of the season, down a tick from last year (1.1), while sister network ESPN2 averaged a 0.74.
TBS brought up the rear with a mere 0.41 U.S. rating, virtually even with last year. Amazingly, games on TBS are averaging barely 100,000 more homes than Yankees telecasts on YES Network alone (466,000 for TBS to 328,000 for YES).
