The Rangers/Tigers American League Championship Series ended with a double-digit drop in ratings and viewership.
The Rangers’ series-clinching Game 6 win over the Tigers earned a 4.6 final rating and 7.700 million viewers on FOX Saturday night, down 31% in ratings and 34% in viewership from Game 6 of last year’s NLCS on FOX (SF/PHI: 6.7, 11.639M), and down 51% and 50%, respectively, from Game 6 of the 2009 ALCS on FOX (LAA/NYY: 9.3, 15.481M).
Last year’s game also aired on a Saturday night; the 2009 game moved from Saturday night to Sunday night due to rain.
Compared to Game 6 of last year’s ALCS on TBS (NYY/TEX: 7.2, 11.863M), which aired on a Friday night, Saturday’s game was down 36% and 35%, respectively.
Game 6 earned a 29.0 in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market, up 2% from the Rangers’ pennant-clinching Game 6 win on TBS last year (28.5). The game drew a 20.9 in Detroit.
Thursday’s Game 5 of the series drew 5.700 million viewers, down 49% from Game 5 of last year’s NLCS on FOX (PHI/SF: 11.196M), and down 52% from Game 5 of the 2009 ALCS on FOX (NYY/LAA: 11.851M).
The 2010 and 2009 games aired in primetime, while this year’s game took place during the afternoon.
Compared to Game 5 of last year’s ALCS on TBS (TEX/NYY: 6.107M), which also aired in the afternoon, the game was down 7% in viewership.
Overall, the ALCS averaged a 4.4 rating, down 20% from last year’s NLCS on FOX (5.5), and down 32% from the 2009 ALCS on FOX (6.5).
(This year’s numbers from The Voice of TV [1], [2]; additional information from Dallas Morning News, ESPN.com)
