We all suspected the MLB Postseason would be a legitimate second chance for Fox Sports 1 to get people to sample the network. While their National League Division Series broadcast numbers have been down from where they were on TBS last season, they’ve still provided a ton of ratings firepower to a network that sorely needs it. While regular season ratings weren’t great, the postseason has been well worth it with still a round to go.
FS1’s telecast of Game 4 from the Nationals/Giants NLDS — the clinching game for San Francisco — drew 3.92 million viewers for a 9 p.m. ET start. That broke a mere four-day old record for largest audience in network history, previously set by Game 1 of Cardinals/Dodgers (3.59M). The numbers peaked from Midnight-12:25 a.m. ET with 4.27M.
The Bay Area drew a record 16.5 rating for the game, the best-ever rating for FS1 in the market. Washington added in an 8.8 rating.
The early game, the Cardinals clinching of their NLDS over the Dodgers, was no slouch. It drew an average of 3.26 million viewers. It slots in as the fifth-most watched program in Fox Sports 1 history. The game peaked with 4.95 million in the game’s final 14 minutes (8-8:14 p.m. ET).
St. Louis led all markets with a 22.4 rating, a number higher than every Rams game so far this NFL season. Los Angeles drew a 5.6 rating for the game.
The NLDS now accounts for five of the 10-most watched programs in FS1’s one year history. That said, five of the six FS1 NLDS windows have decreased from the similar TBS windows for last year’s NLDS. TBS, on the other hand, has had double-digit increases for most of its telecasts.
Overall, the 2014 MLB Postseason is averaging 3.45 million viewers through round one, up seven percent from last year and the most-watched since 2011.
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About Steve Lepore
Steve Lepore is a writer for Bloguin and a correspondent for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.