Though the numbers have improved from the first two games, the Cardinals/Brewers National League Championship Series continues to trail previous years.
The Cardinals’ Game 5 win over the Brewers earned a 3.4 U.S. rating and 5.461 million viewers on TBS Friday night, down 17% in ratings and 11% in viewership from Game 5 of last year’s ALCS on TBS (TEX/NYY: 4.1, 6.107M), and down 32% in both measures compared to Game 5 of the 2009 NLCS on TBS (LAD/PHI: 5.0, 7.978M).
Last year’s game aired on a Wednesday afternoon; the 2009 game aired on a Wednesday night.
Compared to Game 5 of last year’s NLCS on FOX (PHI/SF: 6.9, 11.196M), which aired on a Thursday night, Friday’s game was down 51% in ratings and viewership.
Game 5 ranks as the second-highest rated, second-most viewed game of the series, behind only Thursday’s Game 4 (3.7, 5.650M). The past three games of the series have averaged a 3.3 rating, up 65% from a 2.0 for the first two.
Locally, the game earned a 28.9 rating in St. Louis, down 7% from Game 4 (31.1). The game drew a 21.4 rating in Milwaukee, down 26% from the previous game (28.8).
(This year’s numbers from Turner Sports)
