Opposite the NFL, FOX set multiple ratings lows for Sunday’s Giants/Rangers Game 4.
The Giants’ Game 4 win over the Rangers earned a 9.0 final rating and 15.537 million viewers on FOX Sunday night, down 33% in ratings and 32% in viewership from last year’s Game 4 (NYY/PHI: 13.5, 22.761 mil), and down 3% and up 0.4%, respectively, from Game 4 in 2008 (TB/PHI: 9.3, 15.479 mil).
This marks the lowest rating ever for Game 4 of the World Series, and the lowest rating ever for any Sunday World Series game. The previous lows were set by the aforementioned 2008 Phillies/Rays game.
Sunday’s game was outdrawn head-to-head by Sunday Night Football on NBC (10.7, 18.106 mil), likely marking the first time ever that the World Series has been defeated by a regular season NFL game.
The last time the World Series aired opposite an NFL game (2002), baseball won the head-to-head battle by 397% in ratings (17.9 to 3.6) and 498% in viewership (30.814 mil to 5.154 mil).
Of course, the baseball game was Game 7 between the Giants and Angels. Also, the NFL game aired on cable network ESPN.
Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s game hit a series-high in both ratings and viewership. This marks the third straight year that ratings and viewership dropped from Game 1 to Game 2 to Game 3 of the World Series, before bouncing back to a series-high for Game 4.
The series-high 9.0 rating trails last year’s Yankees/Phillies series-low (9.1 for Game 3).
Through four games, the 2010 World Series is averaging an 8.3 rating and 14.1 million viewers on FOX, down 28% in ratings and 26% in viewership from last year (11.6, 19.1 mil), but up 2% and 9%, respectively, from 2008 (8.1, 13.0 mil).
Record lows remain unlikely, although Giants/Rangers is on pace to finish with the second-lowest numbers in the history of the World Series.
For some perspective, the Lakers/Celtics NBA Finals in June averaged a 9.3 rating and 15.5 million viewers through the first four games.
