Baseball brought big ratings to Fox Sports this season. MLB telecasts drew higher numbers on both Fox and FS1, while several Fox Sports regional networks finished No. 1 in primetime ratings in their respective markets.
Here’s the breakdown: MLB on Fox telecasts enjoyed a 22 percent boost in viewership, with an average audience of 2.2 million compared to last season’s 1.9 million. Baseball broadcasts on FS1 increased by 22 percent, jumping to an average of 504,000 from 413,000.
Perhaps more impressive is the success of baseball telecasts on Fox Sports regional networks, which ranked first in average primetime ratings in six markets. We already covered how successful ratings for Royals games were in Kansas City, coming off a World Series appearance and finishing with the best record in the American League this season. Fox Sports Kansas City enjoyed a household rating of 12.33, a 90 percent increase over last season. That includes a 13.0 household rating in primetime.
Ratings were also big in St. Louis, where Fox Sports Midwest averaged a 10.0 rating (including 10.8 in primetime) for Cardinals game broadcasts, jumping from a 7.9 mark last season. This year’s rating also beats out the 9.4 FS Midwest Cardinals games drew in 2010.
Also ranking first in their respective markets were Fox Sports regional game broadcasts for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays. Those telecasts finished with higher household ratings than all other over-the-air and cable network programming during the 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. block.
So will that ratings success carry into the postseason? Fox Sports’ coverage of the MLB playoffs begins on FS1 Thursday at 3 p.m. ET for Game 1 of the ALDS between the Rangers and Blue Jays. The game broadcast will follow the MLB on FS1 Pregame Show (Pete Rose in studio with host Kevin Burkhardt and fellow analyst Frank Thomas) at either 3:37 p.m. or 4:07 p.m., depending on whether the Yankees or Astros win Tuesday’s AL wild-card playoff.
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About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.