The Yankees’ resurgence translated into big gains during the first half of the season. In other news, the MLB Celebrity Softball Game hit an eight-year high, and ESPN put up big increases for some NBA Summer League games last weekend.
Yankees, Astros, Up; Struggling Mets, Cubs Down
- New York Yankees Major League Baseball games averaged a 3.56 rating and 343,000 viewers on YES Network through the All-Star break, up 55% in ratings and 57% in viewership from last year (2.29, 219K) and the team’s largest first half audience since 2012 (370K). The cross-town Mets averaged a 2.86 on SportsNet New York during the first half, down 2% from last year’s 2.91. Mets ratings had been up 43% earlier in the season. Elsewhere, ratings have dropped 14% for the defending champion Cubs on Comcast SportsNet Chicago (from 4.5 to 3.6), risen 14% for the league-leading Astros on Root Sports Houston (from 2.67 to 3.04) and soared 50% for the improving Braves on Fox Sports South (from 1.35 to 2.00).
MLB Celebrity Game Hits Eight Year High
- The MLB Celebrity Softball Game earned 3.58 million viewers on ESPN Monday night, up 29% from last year (2.8M) and up 20% from 2015 (3.0M). Ratings were not immediately available. It was the most-watched edition of the celebrity game since 2009 (3.61M). Not coincidentally, it also aired after ESPN’s most-watched Home Run Derby since 2009.
NBA Summer League Up Big on ESPN
- Last Saturday’s Celtics-Lakers NBA Summer League game earned a 0.7 final rating and 1.1 million viewers on ESPN, up 133% in ratings and 107% in viewership from Sixers-Lakers last year (0.3, 534K) and the network’s largest Summer League audience ever. Sixers-Warriors posted a 0.5 (+67%) and 736,000 (+66%) later in the night. Last Friday, Clippers-Lakers had 879,000 viewers (+167%).
[Numbers fro YES, SNY, Crain’s Chicago 7.12, AJC 7.13, Houston Chronicle 7.13, ShowBuzz Daily 7.11, 7.12]
