Viewership surged for the final hour of Phillies P Roy Halladay‘s no-hitter against the Reds, but the full game was down double-digits from both last year and 2008.
The Phillies’ Game 1 win over the Reds, featuring Halladay’s no-hitter, drew a 2.7 U.S. rating and 4.209 million viewers on TBS Wednesday evening, according to Nielsen fast-nationals.
Wednesday’s game was down 37% in ratings and 36% in viewership from last year (MIN/NYY G1: 4.3, 6.607 mil) and down 23% and 22%, respectively, from 2008 (LAD/CHC G1: 3.5, 5.381 mil). Both of those games aired in later timeslots.
The declines may have been even more dramatic if not for Halladay’s historic performance. Viewership for the game increased by 41% from 7 PM ET to 8 PM, when he completed only the second no-hitter in MLB postseason history.
The game — the first postseason appearance for the Reds since ’95 — drew an 18.0 rating in Cincinnati. In Philadelphia, the game drew a 21.9 rating, up 41% from Rockies/Phillies Game 1 in an earlier timeslot last year.
(Turner Sports)
