Airing a Yankees playoff game for the first time, MLB Network scored a near-record audience.
Friday’s Yankees-Indians American League Division Series Game 2 earned 3.2 million viewers on MLB Network, up 10% from Red Sox-Indians on TBS last year (2.9M) and up 74% from Astros-Royals on Fox Sports 1 in 2015 (1.8M). Ratings were not immediately available.
Cleveland’s extra-inning comeback win, which peaked at 5.3 million from 10 PM ET through the conclusion, delivered the second-largest audience in MLB Network history. Last year’s Giants-Cubs NLDS Game 2 holds the top spot (4.6M).
The Game 2 numbers are arguably stronger than Game 1 on FS1 the previous night (3.7M), given that Friday’s game started in the afternoon and overlapped for nearly three hours with Cubs-Nationals on TBS. Viewership for that game was not immediately available.
Game 2 delivered a 15.5 rating in Cleveland and an 8.2 in New York City. The former was down 35% from Game 1 on FS1 (24.0), but the latter was off just 2% (from 8.4). Local ratings peaked at a 21.5 in Cleveland (from 10-10:15 PM ET) and a 12.1 in New York (from 9:30-9:45 PM).
In other postseason action, TBS is averaging 3.2 million viewers for the NLDS through Saturday, up 14% from the network’s coverage of last year’s ALDS (and up 3% from last year’s first four NLDS games on FS1 and MLB Network). The network did not immediately disclose figures for the individual games.
[Wknd. numbers from MLB Network PR, Turner Sports]
